Random Destiny
by DragonGolem
Summary: I'm still alive so hopefully it's a cause for celebration. Excuse me for the sloppy way I uploaded the new chapters. Thank you for your patience. This is a RanmaNuku Nuku crossover.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or All Purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku Nuku.

Author's Notes: Writer's block sucks big time. I needed a project to help me recover from my little problem and this came to mind. There have been stories that crossed these two before but I hope that I'm taking a unique approach to it. The first chapters may be a little serious. As always, comments are appreciated and flames make good barbeque. Thank you and let's get on with the show!

Random Destiny

Prologue

It All Began With the Pit

The tiny kitten was hungry. In all of her short life she had never felt hunger like this before. It was with firm conviction that she decided she didn't like it. All she could remember was a fat man that smelled terrible reaching down for her. The kitten couldn't run away because he had thrown a rock for the back of her skull and knocked her almost unconscious. The man's leering face was fresh in her mind. Her tiny tummy rumbled in dissatisfication.The bigger cats seemed to have found something good to eat judging by the way they were clustered around a small heap on the ground. She rushed over to maybe get some food as well when she skidded to a halt so suddenly she fell on her rump. Her eyes widened slightly as her little kitty brain registered what she was seeing.

They were swarming a small child who appeared to be covered in food. A war erupted in her tiny mind. On the one hand there was food in front of her and the little one wasn't fighting back. She wasn't starved enough that she would just attack the food source. On the other hand it was a kid. Much like her. Other cats would laugh at her but she didn't care. Then her ears twitched and she heard the child crying for someone over and over again. The words were alien to her since she was too young to understand people yet beyond the most basic of feelings. The child in front of her was radiating despair and pain. She tried to slink over to him but a big tom knocked her away and left her battered. The kitten painfully got back to her feet just in time to hear the boy yowl like a cat. It was a call for battle.

"Stop hurting me! Stop hurting me! STOP HURTING ME!" he was screaming out powerfully in her native language. The scared neko huddled against the wall fearfully as the caterwauling of the other cats changed from feeding frenzy to a frenzy for their lives. She spared a glance to the child and watched the tears falling down his face as he killed all of his attackers. He looked in her direction and for one terrible moment she thought she was doomed. His eyes changed slightly from vengeful to curious as he padded over to her but then they heard the fat man bellow something. The boy snarled hatefully.

"You won't hurt me like this again..." the cat boy swore and barreled out through the hatch at the top of the pit. The kitten stared out at the clear sky and shivered slightly. Her eyes trailed to the carnage with another shudder. She remembered the boy's pain and began crying as well. Her sobs muffled by the earthen walls. If she ever saw something like that again it would be too soon.

Gasp

Nuku Nuku sat up in bed with a start. Her memories were always fragmented from when she was just a normal cat but lately her computer brain was fixing her memories. That particular one was bad. What did Ryuunosuke call them again? Dreams right? Well she could answer Papa-san now if he asked if androids dream. The purple haired girl laid back down, brushing a strand of hair from her face. In the time since she gained this body she had done everything she could to learn to be a better "person". She wanted to make Papa-san and Ryuunosuke proud of her.

"I wonder what he's doing now?" she mused quietly about the boy in her dream. Talking in the third-person was cute and it was her own little game. She wanted to see how long it would go on before they asked her to use pronouns. Her green eyes stared at the ceiling as the dream came back with renewed terror. She had been trapped in that pit for another three days before the fire department showed up to get her out. Apparently someone heard her crying and called them. That wasn't the worst part of the ordeal. Even the boy killing all those cats wasn't what was frightening her. It was the sheer level of despair he radiated. She now knew what the words he had been using were. "Daddy save me," and "Mommy help me", and then "I've been a good boy".

"Mrrrrr..." her voice synthesizer was now well used to making her cat noises but displeasure was the one used least. She just couldn't hold a grudge. Which was a good thing because otherwise she might be vindictive the next time a Poison helicopter came after her and her family. No, what was bothering her was the memory of the fat man. He had stunk of sake and other things. The boy was presumably his son. It obviously took a very drunk and disturbed individual to do that to their son. She checked her internal clock and found out that it was almost five thirty in the morning.

"I'm not getting back to sleep." she decided as she sat up. Her eyes were watering terribly. Papa-san was proud of his achievement but right now she wished that the tears would stop. She scrubbed at her eyes because big cat girls don't cry. Well she didn't really know about that since she was the only cat girl she knew. Atsuko "Nuku Nuku" Natsume got dressed in a faded tee shirt and blue jeans that had seen better days. The constant attacks generally turned any new clothes to rags in a few days. She stepped quietly into the kitchen of the apartment only to find her father sitting at the table. He looked up from the spread out papers on the table and gave her a big smile. His hair was long and covered his eyes which always amused her.

"Good morning Nuku Nuku. Wait...it is morning isn't it?" he asked. It wasn't unusual for him to work through the whole day. The cat girl giggled slightly and gave the scientist who saved her a hug. He gave an affectionate squeeze in return and watched as she sat across from him.

"Yes Papa-san. Nuku Nuku slept well as always." she said brightly though her usual glow seemed to be missing. He pretended not to notice for that she was grateful.

"Good to hear. Listen, due to the constant attacks we've been evicted. I know I should wait to tell the two of you but I figured you could help me with him. Ryuunosuke's gotten used to living here and now we have to move. There is a place in Nerima ward for rent and I figured we could go over there today to check it out. Sound good to you?" he asked with a hint of a smile. The cat girl gave him an affirmative nod though her mood turned pensive. The good doctor reached across the table and took his daughter's hand.

"It's not your fault sweetheart. You've done everything you could. The fault lies with Mishima." he told her firmly. Slightly surprised by the force in his voice she could only nod dumbly which earned her another smile. Ryuunosuke came out from his room, shuffling sleepily, only to gape owlishly at the sight before him. Nuku Nuku giggled at her little brother's response since it was usually his duty to make sure she was awake. He shook his head to clear it and sat down at the table.

"What's going on? Family meeting no one told me about?" he mumbled sleepily. Nuku Nuku scooted her chair closer to her little brother since she figured this would be hardest on him. Their father once again went over with him what he had told the cat girl. As predicted he did not take the news well. Atsuko hugged him tight as he cried. After he dream she discovered something that had long been missing. It was anger. She really could not get mad at someone and now it seemed that it was coming rather easily.

"Nuku Nuku won't let them bother you again Ryuu. No she won't." the cat girl let go of her brother before she gave him a pneumatic hug. His eyes were free of tears as he registered her current state of mind. Kyuusaku sat back in his chair with his hands behind his head. He had expected her to blow a gasket eventually. Too bad it wasn't the kind of gasket that could be replaced. She almost laughed at her machine humor but it wasn't funny really.

"Well, let's have some breakfast before we go. I think we have a full day ahead of us." Her father said as he got up to make something to eat only to have Ryuunosuke stop him in fear. The boy then went to make breakfast instead of their father. Kyuusaku was a genius inventor but a terrible cook.

-Elsewhere-

Ranma lay on the futon staring at the ceiling. The dream was as vivid now as it ever was. The only different part was a strange disjointed image of a tiny kitten in the pit. The look of fear in her eyes was clear and had cut through the neko-ken fog somehow. She wasn't one of the ones trying to harm him but even that charitable thought wasn't enough to stop him from shivering. The whole ordeal was a festering wound and not a mental scar like they think. The pit was still very real to him. He had even gone back to the place to bury it once again only to find that the city had filled it in already. The one shot of closure he had was gone until he remembered what had started this mess.

His pop had been pissed that he burned the manual but it didn't matter to him. The Neko-ken should never be taught to anyone else. Pop had said that martial arts knowledge should not be disrepected. It didn't matter to Ranma that the fat fool was upset with him. Life in Nerima had become a rela grind. A steady stream of monotony that threatened to engulf him and sweep him under. He was a god slayer and still he was treated like shit. The only people who treated him like he mattered was Kasumi and Cologne.

That was a pretty big surprise actually. Cologne, matriarch of the Chinese Amazons, was treating him with respect. As she put it, anyone who could kill Saffron was best kept as a friend than an enemy. That was certainly true enough and as a result their relationship became one of grandmother to grandson. Shampoo and Mousse still hadn't clued in onthe changes. The bubbly Amazon girl was brought up short, forcefully, by her grandmother. Mousse tried his usual bullshit later.

"Saotome you cad! How dare you hurt Shampoo!" forgetting that it was Cologne who pulled her reigns back. That had been a monster of a battle which had dragged in everyone and their mother into the fray. Well, one mother. It brought Nodoka into the battle and not to fight. At some point in the whole debacle he had become a she. She had demanded that the manly thing to do would be to return to normal to finish the fight. Ranma-chan was dodging sharpened weapons from Mousse, Ukyou, and Ryoga. As well as bludgeoning weapons from Shampoo and Akane. He trembled with anger as he lay there remembering. Nodoka threw boiling hot water on him almost screwing up his concentration fatally.

"None of them deserve me. I don't deserve the shit they put me through." he stated with quiet conviction. Kasumi had seem his injuries when he returned and almost exploded. Oh it was satisfying to watch as the war party came for his head only to get torn into by Kasumi who was pissed off enough to spit fire. She had even manifested a visible battle aura. He snickered at the memory. Kasumi had cowed everyone into submission and rounded out her victory with tea for everyone. That was the funniest part. She had just scolded everyone roundly for what they did only to find a cup of tea in their hands and her apologizing profusely.

"Okay so maybe it was worth it." his aching ribs wanted to argue but couldn't override his good humor. That part had been truly priceless. Cologne showed up shortly thereafter to collect her bemused charges. One by one everyone left save for Akane of course and Kasumi. The violent girl was genuinely contrite for her part in the fight. She confessed to having thought he was cheating on her again but it was a little too obvious that he had been ganged up on. He forgave her as he always did and she left the table. Ranma knew he shouldn't have because otherwise she wouldn't learn but he just couldn't hold a grudge.

Then his mom showed up. She had been conspicuous in her absence and it was clear why she hadn't been there. A rather attractive girl was following her with short blonde hair and a perfect ten figure. His mother introduced her as the first candidate for mistress. What made him truly sad wasn't the fact that his mother suggested it but that he realized that it was normal behavior by now. He shook his head before recapturing his smile at the "first mistress's" reaction to his curse. She screamed and tore out of there like the hounds of Hell were on her heels. Then his mother got a reproving glare from Kasumi which topped off the weirdness factor for the day.

"Wake up Baka!" Akane called out. He was about to say that he was awake when cold water sluiced over him robbing him of his birth form once again. The redhead let out a shrill, murderous scream of inarticulate rage as she leapt to her feet and roared into the short-haired girl's face from not even an inch away.

"I WAS AWAKE YOU KAWAIIKUNE TOMBOY!" the scream reverberated. It was a testament to how powerful the scream was that it had actually blown her fiancee's hair back. Akane blinked stupidly in the face of her furious female fiance for a full minute. The shorter girl was huffing in sheer rage and indignation.

"...My ears..." Akane finally managed to say as she tried to clear the ringing out. Ranma was totally not in the mood to be messed with. Genma grabbed his child's shoulder.

"What's the matter with you boy? Quit being such a gi-urk!" which was not the normal way the morning taunts ended but when an elbow ends up materialized in your gut there's not much you can say about that. The force of the blow ripped the panda man from his feet and sent him careening out the window so fast there was a backwind. Ranma sucked the cool air into her lungs and focused on the Soul of Ice. She focused so heavily that even the water on the floor chilled to sub zero temperatures.

"My ears..." Akane whined again breaking Ranma's concentration. The indignant girl huffed.

"Serves ya right baka. I was already awake." she said with offended dignity before leaving the room angrily. It was time to get ready for the day. If what happened this morning was any indication of what was going to happen today maybe she should just go back to bed.

End Prologue

Author's Notes: I haven't forgotten TNGB but I needed a writer's block breaker and this was the idea. I hope you like this little offering and don't forget to read and review! Thanks a lot and ja ne!


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or All Purpose Culutural Catgirl Nuku Nuku.

Author's Notes: Another day and another chapter. Apparently the beginning was a rousing success! Thank you very much for lifting a humble author's spirits. Hmmm...actually there was one dissenter in the whole mix. A rather unreasonable flame if you ask me. Thank you once again for reading this story and sending in your reviews. I will try to keep this story at the level of quality you've come to expect from me and this story will not die. Enough with my rambling and let's get on with the show!

Random Destiny

Chapter 1

Nuku Nuku Makes a Friend

It was a bright Saturday morning and all was well with the world. Ranma was seated at breakfast fending off his father's attempts to steal from his plate. Nabiki was slowly returning to the land of the living over a cup of coffee. Soun was busily reading the newspaper as if he actually cared what was going on in the world. Kasumi was seated at the head of the table dishing out more food to everyone and radiating quiet serentity. Akane was...

Still complaining about her ears.

Okay so it wasn't a normal day by any stretch of the imagination. The morning had started off with a bang and Akane was still whimpering. He knew he should feel bad for what he did but he just didn't. No one was blaming him for once either which gave mute testimony to the fact that the end of the world was coming. It violated the laws of the universe. His pop was lazy. Shampoo was a nymphomaniac bimbo. Nabiki hoarded money. Akane got angry at the drop of a hat and everything was Ranma's fault. Screw with the delicate order in any way and things get messy.

"So what are your plans for today Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked him with a warm smile. Is there anyway Kasumi can ask a question without one of those? Well, yesterday notwhithstanding he snickered briefly before getting himself together.

"Ah nothin' much just gonna go explorin' a little." he said with a shrug. Three, two, one...

"You will take Akane won't you?"

"Boy you make your father proud!"

"It will be a great date for you!"

"The schools will be joined!"

No guesses required to figure out who just said that. It was pretty bad when he knew what to say to trigger certain responses. If he waited a little bit then Akane would add her her two cents worth any second now.

"My ears..." she whined pathetically. Well it appears that was shot to hell. Too bad since he was looking forward to a good verbal sparring match and the free air-trip that accompanied afterwards. He was getting ready to actually walk out under his own power when Akane shouted.

"Ranma no baka!" and sent him into the stratosphere. Nothing quite like a violent impact and impromptu flight to clear the mind. He enjoyed it up here. Away from the hostility of daily life. It was truly peaceful and serene but his quiet moment wasn't going to last much longer as he realized that gravity finally remembered him. He was falling through the air, ready to land, when something totally unexpected happened. A girl with purple hair and green eyes flashed into his field of view and whisked him up in her arms. This was new.

"Don't worry! Nuku Nuku will save you! Though how were you falling from waaaaaaay up here? Was there a plane?" his rescuer "Nuku Nuku" asked in confusion. She was almost his height and very cute. Her t-shirt was ruffling in the wind and her jeans looked like they'd seen better days. He found himself a little overwhelmed. Then his senses kicked in and he realized something. She wasn't human. The landing was little more than a gentle bump. From that height he knew that even he would have felt the vibrations from the landing but she didn't seem concerned. She set him down when they landed and he stood staring at her in bemusement.

"Hi! I'm Nuku Nuku! Papa-san and Ryuunosuke are looking at apartments around here for rent since we got evicted." the girl was cheerful, perky, and definitely cute but something made him a bit uneasy. She moved like a cat which normally wouldn't bother him. Add to that she wasn't human made him wonder if she wasn't some kind of feline in girl's clothing. Well, Nuku Nuku hadn't been mean to him, and something about those eyes got to him. Eyes are the doorway to the soul right?

"H-Hi. I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this." he said while scratching the back of his neck. He knew he had to stop saying it. Then again she didn't seem to read too deeply into it or react oddly. Though she did seem to be peering at him strangely. Well, odd is a relative term in Nerima, but she was behaving almost normal. He might have enjoyed a conversation with her but the fragile masonry of the ward betrayed them. An explosion later and Ryoga Hibiki was there in full glory. His teeth gleaming in the daylight and his body was rimmed with a purple light. This was looking bad.

"Ranma Saotome! Because of you I've seen Hell!"

-Earlier-

Nuku Nuku wanted to play with Ryuunosuke and Papa-san but she also understood that they needed to find a new place to live quickly. The two of them seemed shocked when she said she was going to go exploring. When asked why she simply replied that it was a nice day and she wanted to find a ledge to sunbathe. Plans were made to meet at noon at a place called the Nekohanten. That sounded like a lot of fun to the purple haired girl so she readily agreed. Her internal clock properly set for a few minutes before noon, since it wouldn't take her that long to get there, Atsuko Natsume decided to explore her new environment.

There seemed to be quite a number of interesting people out today actually. It looked like a lot of fun with boys running around with sticks proclaiming love to a goddess and a tigress. Not to mention the crazy girl with the funny laugh taking swipes at lamp posts with her ribbon and chopping them down. That was a neat trick so she applauded the show. The girl then looked at her with an angry look much to Nuku Nuku's amazement. Didn't people like being complimented on a good performance?

"How dare you mock Kodachi Kuno the Black Rose of St. Hebereke School? I will have to teach you respect for your betters peasant!" the aristocratic girl intoned with a snarl before launching at the startled catdroid with impressive speed. Nothing compared to her own, but pretty impressive for a human! She leapt back quickly only to forget about the ribbon which lashed across the front of her t-shirt.

"Nuku Nuku is sorry! What did she do?" the cat girl tried to reason with her assailant. She needed to find out what she did so she didn't repeat the mistake even if it was a good workout for her mechanical body. Nuku Nuku was polite enough not to rile people up without reason. The Mishima people were an exception since they were always riled up! Whoops, forgot she was in a fight there for a moment, and judging by the shattered concrete the clubs her foe was now wielding were weighted.

"You dare to clap and make a mockery of me? You buffoon! Stand still so I can kill you! Harlot! Whore!" she spat enraged. Nuku Nuku knew that it was probably making her mad that she couldn't hit her then the words filtered in. She was innocent but she wasn't that innocent! The cat girl snarled and just barely kept her antennae from popping up. The gymnast thought she was having a tough time before? Well she was in for some hell now! Kodachi swung her club out once again to hit her only to have the head gripped in Atsuko's fragile seeming hand without strain.

"Nuku Nuku is sorry for what she is about to do. Please understand but it's not nice to call other girls those things." she managed to say as politely as she could before shattering the head of the club with a simple flex. Her opponent seemed to be a tad overwhelmed by what was going on. Good. With that the cat girl snagged her ribbon and put on a burst of speed. She wound the ribbon around the crazed girl tightly but not too tight to cut off her oxygen. When she was done there was a trussed up Kodachi hogtied on the ground.

"Let me go you insidious cheater! How dare you play with anything less than all honor? Why I should gack!" the "gack" was because Nuku Nuku stuffed her handkerchief into Kodachi's mouth. It wasn't polite but the girl was too loud! As she strolled away she tried to remember what had bothered her about the handkerchief. Oh yeah, she had used it to take the sardine paste off her hands from breakfast. To a normal person that would be a definite "ew". Oh well, the day was too nice to let that bother her.

"My darling Shampoo!" the call stopped her. Why was someone calling out for hair care products? She knew that they were good but who used "darling" when referring to them? The question would continue to elude her for some time but sadly she didn't elude the Amazonian glomp that almost made her titanium reinforced frame squeak. She looked down, pretty sure that her body's simulated nervous system was telling her the truth, but she just had to see this. Some man had just grabbed her breasts! Now felines like to be groped, patted, and fondled, but to a cat girl in polite society she knew that was a no-no.

"Uhm...Nuku Nuku would like you to remove your hands please." she managed to say evenly. Lately feminine modesty had been creeping up on her at the strangest times. Right now she was starting to experience feminine indignation. A rather unique feeling not unlike the rage she felt this morning. The groper gave her another fondle which caused her eyebrow to twitch.

"Shampoo? Why are you so cold? Let me warm you up with the heat of my love!" the boy proclaimed loudly. Obviously he hadn't heard her the first time so she decided to say it to his face. With that she grabbed his hands and gave him a twist and flip which resulted in him dangling in front of her with both of his wrists held together. He blinked owlishly at her. Her assailant was a boy of Chinese origin with long black hair and was wearing fancy white robes. A pair of glasses was perched on his head. She transferred the grip to one hand and calmly pushed down his glasses. He blinked a few more times before sweating nervously.

"Nuku Nuku is not Shampoo." she told him frostily.

"W-well you see uh...you have a similar build and similar hair color and you talk the same so I just kinda thought that you were Shampoo playing a trick on me and..." obviously the poor dear was quite upset. Nuku Nuku knew that a good trip across the rooftops usually calmed her down so she decided the same would work for him. Unlike how she did it though, under her own power, Atsuko booted him over the skyline. She snickered a bit at that, calming down almost immediately. The cat girl was a fairly elemental creature really.

Her eyes were on the sky when she noticed the young man falling. That was unusual. She didn't boot him up there of that she was certain. In one smooth motion she flowed from the ground to the top of a building then to a higher building and then finally vaulted into the sky. She was certain that she would be in time. He hovered closer, closer, closer, before finally she snagged him from what would have been surely broken bones or worse. As far as humans went this one was very attractive. He had such interesting black hair much like most Japanese but his was somehow finer. Then there was the build. Judging by how much he weighed and his appearance she guessed a martial artist of some sort. Then there were the eyes. She almost dropped him before recovering.

They were the eyes from her dream.

Her mouth was moving while her computer brain kicked into high gear and did a quick assessment of the boy in her arms. Photographic memory has nothing on her. The scans came back as a near perfect match for the boy from that time but then again it was only based on a mental picture. Still, his scent was the same and that was what mattered. When they landed she set him down and gave him her award winning smile. He returned the smile and introduced himself. It was clear he was checking her out but not the way other boys do. He was scanning her! Maybe not with technology but he was scanning her nonetheless.

She became acutely aware of the fact that she was staring at him and couldn't help the embarassed feelings she got. He was radiating cat. Not only that but he was radiating Alpha Male on a huge scale. The cat brain wanted eagerly to please him. Normally Nuku Nuku didn't back down from anyone except Papa-san or Ryuunosuke but right now she found herself deferring to Ranma now. Ranma Saotome. The name was quite pleasant actually. She could have had a nice conversation with him but just then the wall exploded and a powerfully built teenager stepped through. His eyes locked unerringly on Ranma and he flipped out.

"Ranma Saotome! Because of you I've seen Hell!"

-Present-

Ranma took in the stance of his longtime rival and the relative safety of Nuku Nuku. If her leap was any indication she could handle herself. That didn't mean that he wanted to find out if she could or not. Nope, best to just get his attention and get him out of here.

"Hey P-chan, what's the matter? You off your feed or something?" he quipped insultingly. Ryoga leapt in for the bait instantly as he charged after him. Oh yeah, he still had it. The Lost Boy blundered after him just as predicted. The pigtailed boy hoped that the girl had gotten out of there because apparently the pig boy had come back with new speed. Fine. It just extended the fight by maybe a minute or two.

"I'll kill you for hurting Akane!" his rival screamed at him angrily. Oh okay, he was mad about Akane's ears. That was an accident and Akane had started it. Explaining that to P-chan however was pointless. A quick dodge avoided the punch that shattered the stone wall behind him. The best time to fight Ryoga was when he was angry. If he was even remotely calm he wasn't as strong but was more clever. When angered however it was like walking a tightrope of disaster and by this point Ranma was a master. One hit left you counting the fractures.

"Sheesh Ryoga! Chill out man. Don't be so pigheaded about it!" he added more fuel to the fire. The Lost Boy built up for a Shi Shi Hokodan of immense proportions. He cupped his palms together and fired off his trademark attack. Ranma was about to dodge when he realized that in their mad dance he had lead the Lost Boy back to where Nuku Nuku was! The blast fired down field and the pigtailed martial artist crossed his arms to block. The blast was intense as it sought to break through his guard. He used his immense ki reserves to hold off the attack but something was wrong. Ranma got a good look at what was happening and paled before redoubling his efforts. Ryoga was firing off a literal stream of ki!

"This time you won't escape justice Saotome!" Ryoga roared as the beam doubled in size. Ranma wasn't sure how long he could hold out when a new cry entered the battle.

"Nuku Nuku PUNCH!" the girl he was trying to protect had just dealt Ryoga a devastating haymaker across the jaw. At least it would have been devastating if the Lost Boy wasn't a mountain of muscle and endurance but then something remarkable happened. The blow caught him and sent him flying through a wall with explosive force. Ranma collapsed to his knees, his arms trembling violently from the strain of overloading his ki. The pigboy climbed out from the wall rubbing his jaw absently.

Nuku Nuku stood in her ready stance which wasn't much really but a way to show she was ready to fight. What had her confused was why this boy had suddenly attacked her new friend. The fight quickly was lead away from her by Ranma much to her worry. She could have handled it! It might have even been fun but they left in a hurry. The shouts drew her attention and she realized they must have just gone around the block which was good. She really wanted to play.

The cat girl was waiting for the right moment to jump in when suddenly the boy attacking her friend began emitting a strange energy. Bioelectrical readings were off the charts and he was actually emitting a faint electromagnetic pulse. When he cupped his hands together she stopped to watch from behind Ranma. It was clear he was about to jump away but then he caught sight of her and stayed where he was! This was definitely not good. As the attack pounded on him relentlessly Nuku Nuku knew she had to do something. She rushed at Ranma's attacker who seemed to be completely oblivious to her presence and decked him clean across the jaw. The cat girl breathed a sigh of relief when it actually seemed to work and he plowed into a wall.

"That hurt you know." he remarked as he climbed out from the wall looking none the worse for the wear. She gaped in astonishment as he collected himself and got back into a ready stance. The boy glared at her before rushing off for Ranma again who was still recovering from the last attack. Nuku Nuku charged after him and wrapped her arms around his waist before giving him a backbreaker, slamming his head into the pavement, before standing straight up again.

"Nuku Nuku is sorry but I can't let you hurt Ranma-san." she told the fallen boy. Then to her amazement he got back to his feet yet again! This time his fanged glare was all for her. His logical portion seemed to be out to lunch. He brought his fist back and cold cocked her in the face with all his might. The cat girl bumped and skidded along the ground, forever ruining her shirt. She got back to her feet with a snarl of anger and tore the dangling strips of cloth off completely. Her foe's eyes were glazed and his breathing was ragged. Nuku Nuku got ready to charge him when suddenly his nose erupted in a geyser of blood and he passed out.

"Heh gasp heh gasp heh gasp...He never could...pant stand to see wheeze a girl's chest..." Ranma remarked tiredly and gave her a crooked smile. He seemed to realize that she was only half dressed and gave her his shirt. The cat girl looked at the red silk shirt she was wearing and fingered it softly. Male cats usually gave offerings to their prospective mates but she also realized he was just being nice. Oh this was so confusing! Her internal clock let off a ping that told her she was going to be late.

"Uh oh...Nuku Nuku has to go Ranma-san. We'll play later okay?" she chirped innocently. Ranma blinked in confusion for a second before he nodded. Nuku Nuku took off across the rooftop expressway towards the Nekohanten. She was glad that she made a new friend. He was so nice and strong. He was also the boy from the pit. If anyone could understand the terror she had gone through it would be him. That thought reassured her more than anything.

Ranma was exhausted physically and mentally from his recent ordeal. He wearily trudged his way back to the dojo with Nuku Nuku on his mind. The girl was a study in contrasts. She was so cheerful and warm one minute but a force of nature the next. Then again she also shows no sign of turning that on him which was a point in her favor. The way she fought Ryoga was amazing. No one he knew aside from Taro could take Ryoga in a contest of strength and that was only in his beast form. Just the way she said they would play later made him think of a kid. She was too sweet to be believed but then again so was Kasumi. However Kasumi couldn't throw around Ryoga.

"What a loooong day..." he droned out as he made it inside just in time to get hit in the side of the head by Akane. The last conscious thought was "Karma is such a bitch."

-Nekohanten-

Nuku Nuku walked into the restaurant with a spring in her step. She had made a new friend and his scent was on the shirt she was wearing. It also looked quite nice on her so it was an even better find. She only had to find her family but it seemed as if she had actually arrived first! Normally they were waiting for her to arrive. Oh well, nothing to do about it but wait. The waitress came out and Atsuko almost had an aploplexy at what she saw. The waitress had purple hair and she was speaking in pigdin Japanese. Oh crap someone stole her act. The foreigner managed to sound more intelligent than she did even with the broken Japanese.

That just would not do. She was the top cat around these parts aside from Ranma. He was just too Alpha for words purrrr...Whoops. The waitress is staring at her. Something about the way her eyes are narrowing is making her nervous. Suddenly the Chinese girl whips out a huge broadsword and brings it down at her with blinding speed. The cat girl propelled her body to the side quickly to avoid the downswing but was caught by the backswing across the chest. She snarled at the damage to the shirt.

"Why do people always want to see my cleavage? Are you a lesbian or something?" her voice synthesizer was working overtime to convey the menace, the anger, and the cat-like growl in those words. Shampoo, which it didn't take a genius to figure out who it was, came to a complete stop. Her eyes were wide as she processed the sharp retort.

"You wear Airen's shirt stupid girl! You obstacle!" she retorted in a silky voice that also conveyed menace. Nuku Nuku felt like she was intruding on another cat's territory but was in no mood to care for niceties.

"This is Ranma's shirt and speak Japanese while you're here or go back to your own country! I'm the customer, you're the waitress, what's so hard to understand about that?" she bit off sharply rocking her opponent back on her heels. The other patrons saw the storm signs and were rushing out the Martial Artist Emergency Exit. It was a bigger door than the fire exit coincidentally.

"You-you-you...Homewrecker! Stupid catty girl not talk to Shampoo that way!" The purple haired bimbo charged at her again only to have Nuku Nuku chop the blade in half with her left hand and fold her over with her right hand. She hauled the gasping girl up to eye level before yowling angrily. The irate cat girl would have continued but just then Ryuunosuke and her father came in just in time to see her pick up the girl. Atsuko brushed off the girl's shoulders smoothly with unruffled calm like only a cat could do and walked over to her family.

"Nuku Nuku is glad to see you Papa-san but she thinks that we should eat somewhere else. The service is mean." with that she walked out of the restaurant. If she had bothered to turn around she would have seen Shampoo glaring after her but in true feline fashion she just wouldn't have cared.

Once the trio had left Cologne came out from the kitchen and glared at Shampoo. This was definitely going too far. A full scale battle in her restaurant was expected on occasion but dragging in innocent bystanders was not. If the girl with violet hair was a new player then someone should explain the rules to her but not at sword point. She was livid.

"Shampoo! What in all the nine hells were you doing?" she shouted at her offspring. The girl regained her diginity and stood straighter.

"Obstacles is for killing." she told her grandmother stiffly.

"Need I remind you of the rather polite gentlemen who came to visit us when you went after that one girl for kissing Ranma on the cheek? They said that all it would take is one more complaint and we would be deported. My diplomatic immunity would mean nothing since our continuing to stay would constitute an international incident." she explained patiently as if to a child or a simpleton. Sometimes Shampoo could be both.

"They is weak males. They no order Amazon womens!" she retorted as if that was the perfect arguement.

"Shampoo. What does a bomb mean to you? All it would take is ONE to remove us from history. Do you understand? Beijing is looking for any excuse to get rid of us and if you give them one then so help me I will remove you myself. I love you but I cannot sacrifice that many people." with that the Elder and Matriarch of the Chinese Amazons left the room crying. Shampoo stared at her great grandmother's bowed form and immediately began reconsidering some of the things she thought she knew.

-Later-

Atsuko stared up at the building where they would be staying with something close to awe. It was an old fashioned style house, traditional, but grand. She looked to her Papa-san with disbelieving eyes. The people who lived here had said that they had an extra room they would be willing to let them use. Not only was it a kind offer but the rent was good too. Kyuusaku gave her a confident smile which she returned wholeheartedly. She currently had Ryuunosuke on her back. The poor kid was exhausted from all the wandering they did today.

"How long can we stay?" she asked.

"As long as we need to." he assured her.

"But Mishima..."

"Will not be a problem. I found out that one of the poor guys that lives here causes more destruction." Kyuusaku told her easily as he finally knocked on the door. A pretty young woman with long brown hair greeted them at the door.

"Welcome to the Tendo home. I hope you enjoy your stay."

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Fun stuff all around. I'll explain next chapter how they have extra room of course. With that in mind ja ne!


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or Nuku Nuku.

Author's Notes: Wowee the reviews keep pouring in. I looked in my mailbox this morning and found a lot of them. Thank you very much for your appreciation. I would like to apologize for my spelling errors since I am using WordPad and not MSWord. How does that excuse me? I don't always catch it on the read through. I promise to try harder in the future. It has been brought to my attention about Nuku Nuku's hair color. I have seen a lot of pictures with it as an odd shade of purple sort of a violet almost. Must have just been the coloring or the lighting but it looks purple to me. Thank you for telling me though. Does that mean I am going to fix it? Probably not. As for her personality? She's growing up like everyone has a tendency to do. She will be the same Nuku Nuku just with random maturity thrown in. In case it's not obvious, I am working on a comedy here. Don't expect a lot of drama or for things to fit neatly. Half the fun is the improbable situations. As always thank you for reading and let's get on with the show!

Random Destiny

Chapter 2

Prepare to be Boarded

The table was crowded as usual. Ranma sat beside Akane and tried not to be seen. His fiancee seemed especially volatile tonight so calling attention to himself was out. Soun sat at his traditional place at the table with his ever present newspaper. Genma sat across from Ranma and Akane. Kasumi sat near where the rice cooker usually sat and Nabiki sat opposite of Soun this time. She had something important to say and it was in everyone's best interests to hear her out. The mercenary had managed a feat that morning that made her probably the most feared member of the house.

She evicted Happosai.

While it seemed to be an impossible task, Nabiki had managed it by simply asking him which would he prefer. Staying and having a certain picture shown around or leaving and not coming back. When he tried to call her bluff she showed him a picture. The picture apparently rattled his cage so badly that he had taken off to parts unknown as if the devil was on his heels. When questioned what the picture was she refused to tell. She was a mercenary but she was an honorable one. In Happosai's defense he had been terribly drunk when he had groped Tsubasa but it was too good to pass up.

Now back to the present.

"What did you call us together for daughter?" Soun asked as he set down his paper. Her smile that morning had been positively gleeful which was unusual for her. Normally she held her emotions in better reserve but this prospect had cheered her greatly. What she had set up was nothing short of brilliant and incredibly humorous. She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders.

"Happosai's old room is not being used currently and it is the biggest one in the house. Well we are currently having finacial problems..." the wedding fiasco almost made her mask slip. That had been an unpleasant venture. "So I took out an ad in the paper for a tenant. They should be arriving sometime next tomorrow. The family consists of a girl around Akane and Ranma's age, a father around your age Daddy, and a little boy who I already have set up at the local elementary school." she gave it to them straight and no-nonsense. She knew there would be fallout so she prepared for the worst.

"That's wonderful! More people around this house should liven it up considerably! It has been rather too boring these past few weeks." Soun said with a hale and hearty laugh. That made her mask not only slip but crack completely. Judging by the reactions of the rest of the table she wasn't the only one surprised. Kasumi however brought it back to practicalities.

"Oh my, I guess I shall have to get the old futons down out of storage until their belongings arrive. Ranma, Akane, would you be willing to help me...remove...Grandfather's old things?" she said with a strange smile gracing her lips. If it had been someone other than Kasumi it may have been a malicious smile but this was Saint Tendo so all that really happened was a slightly naughty smile.

"Hmmm...I hope they don't eat too much." Genma said with a slightly displeased rumble drawing sweatdrops from the other occupants of the table. Ranma tried without success not to snicker with Akane joining him a few seconds later. They were hardly fiances, more of good friends, but even that was being blunted by their fathers.

"Sure thing Kasumi. I would be glad to help." Akane said cheerfully. Ranma nodded beside her. How could they refuse anything that Kasumi asked? It was agreed that the three of them would get the new "apartment" ready that night and the happy homemaker would prepare a feast to welcome them. When Nabiki was asked what she thinks they would like she suggested fish with a snicker disguised as a cough. Her network of informants had given her quite a bit to play with and she had given them all hefty bonuses even if it did cut into her profits.

The meeting at that point degenerated with everyone heading off in different directions. Kasumi, Akane, and Ranma went to actually do work. Genma and Soun went to the shogi board almost immediately. As for Nabiki, she fled back to her room to laugh at her contribution to the chaos. To be completely honest she hadn't learned much after the failed wedding except to specify no explosives next time. However, according to Doctor Natsume, Atsuko "Nuku Nuku" and his son Ryuunosuke were well behaved. She knew about what Atsuko was and that she was a cat brained android. Ailurophobic Ranma meets Cat Girl Nuku Nuku. Sit back and enjoy the fireworks. Perfect stress reliever she figured.

"All I have to do now is make sure the chaos is manageable." she mused as she fiddled with her computer. Little did she know that she would have caused less damage by tossing accelerant on a forest fire. Maybe she would learn this time. Maybe.

-Present Day-

Kasumi lead the trio into the house sedately. There was no need to rush at all since the usual weirdness had not occured recently. At least not at the house. So there was no reason to hurry. She was looking forward to this. There was nothing that made her happier than taking care of others. The man in the lab coat looked like a nice sort and his daughter certainly appeared well behaved. The little boy on her back was just so adorable she wanted to pinch his cheeks but refrained. She didn't want to give them the wrong impression of her.

"Nice place ya got here." Kyuusaku said with an appreciative whistle. Kasumi beamed happily at the praise. The very air seemed lighter when she smiled. The good doctor was just a tad creeped out by that but she was nice so he let it slide. He looked over to Nuku Nuku as he wondered how she would react and where did she get that red shirt anyway?

"Hai! This place is so nice Nuku Nuku likes it." the girl with the interestingly colored hair chirped. Atsuko was looking forward to staying here. The girl was so nice and kind that she made her feel good all over. If she was still fully a cat she'd probably want to curl up in her lap and sleep and afternoon away. She might still do that.

"Father, the tenants have arrived." the gentle girl called out to her father. When they entered the room, the doctor got a good look at his host. The man had long black hair and was wearing a brown gi. He seemed to be a very fit man and had an impressive mustache. Kyuusaku was looking forward to talking to the man simply for the sake of research. What research could that be? The scientist would never tell.

Nuku Nuku focused on the girls sitting at the table. One had short black hair, almost blue, and radiated energy. She obviously had a lot of spirit which made the cat girl want to play with her right now but introductions had to be made. The other girl was picking them apart with the precision of a machine. Her hair was in a short pageboy cut and brown. It was clear her eyes took in everything about her. Upon noticing the red shirt, her eyes widened one thousandth of a milimeter but her processors picked it up. That could not be good.

"Welcome to our home. I trust you found the house easily enough?" Soun asked cheerfully. From what he could see they looked to be good people but his eyes locked onto the red shirt the girl was wearing. This could be no coincidence. He decided to actually let it slide for now. The Tendo patriarch was glad his old buddy Genma was not there however since the man would have been rude. He would not disgrace his family with rudeness.

"Oh it was easy really. Thank you for letting us stay here." Kyuusaku said with his normal easy grin. The doctor winked at Nabiki but how anyone could tell from that mop of hair was anybody's guess. The elder Tendo nodded his head as if he expected that answer and looked to his children who were now seated with him. He graciously offered them a seat. The doctor took his son from his daughter's back so she could sit down. He took a seat beside her while holding Ryuunosuke in his arms. It was clear the poor kid was sound asleep.

"My name is Kyuusaku Natsume. This lovely young lady with me is my daughter Atsuko, also called Nuku Nuku, and this is my son Ryuunosuke." he introduced his family with a flourish. The guy was so easy going that he was having a similar calming effect to Kasumi. The girl, Atsuko, bowed slightly before giving them a perky smile with a hint of kitty fang peeking out. Ryuunosuke simply cuddled closer to his father.

"Well my name is Soun Tendo. These are my daughters. The eldest is Kasumi, the middle daughter is Nabiki, and the youngest is Akane." he introduced each of them and gestured to each. The mood was light and friendly. That was when Atsuko felt it. A strange wave of discontent coming from the youngest. She blinked a few times as she played with the buttons on the nice shirt. The slash was not clearly visible and would need to be repaired.

"Oh my! Is that one of Ranma's shirts?" Kasumi asked. Suddenly all eyes were on the cat girl. She liked attention but judging by the hostile look being directed her way by Akane this was firmly in the "bad thing" category. Nuku Nuku gave Akane a strained smile. Was this girl going to act like Shampoo and try to kill her? Hard to kill an android but that waitress made a good go of it.

"Is it that pervert's shirt?" Akane ground out from between clenched teeth. Kyuusaku gave his daughter a look that silently demanded an explanation. Her little brother shifted slightly, no doubt feeling the discontent in the air. How did she keep getting into these messes? Just then a voice came from the front door.

"Oy! Anybody home?" with that the man of the hour stepped into what could possibly be World War III. He stood in the doorway with a confused look on his face. His white undershirt was gleaming a stark contrast to his black pants. Atsuko had a quick mental war between her feline instincts and her machine logic. Machine logic lost badly.

"Ranma-san!" she crowed happily before glomping onto the startled boy with much less than her normal power. She didn't want her Alpha getting crushed after all. Ranma stiffened up suddenly especially when she started purring. Nuku Nuku was nuzzling at him contentedly before stopping. He seemed to be muttering something rapidly.

"Notacatjustagirlmustnotrunawaycuzitain'tmanly" he managed to say at something close to Amaguriken speeds. She managed to understand that he said "Not a cat. Just a girl. Must not run away cuz it ain't manly." Satisfied that she understood she was about to go back to nuzzling when the discontent rose sharply. Her pigtailed friend's eyes were riveted to something just over her shoulder and she turned to look. Akane was manifesting a visible spectrum battle aura much like that Ryoga boy did.

"Whoa...cool lightshow..." she muttered distractedly. Ranma was trying to get away but the glomp had effectively paralyzed him. It wasn't manly to beg for your life so he didn't. He was simply trying to get away without hurting the obviously friendly girl who just happened to purr like a c-c-feline devil.

"How dare you cheat on me with another floozy!" she screamed in inarticulate rage. The distressed teen she was clinging to was trying to deny it when Ryuunosuke whimpered softly from the raised voice. He hated conflict. Atsuko heard the whimper and let go of Ranma mechanically, her eyes going flat. The girl had apparently not noticed the change and had swung down a conveniently placed shinai only to shatter it on Nuku Nuku's head.

"Oh my god...I-I'm sorry! I was aiming for Ranma but...how did I miss?" she asked in confusion. That was what everyone else wanted to know. Kyuusaku had a pretty good idea of how that happened. His daughter was quite fast and it would be child's play for her to interpose herself. Ranma had actually seen her move and tried to reel his tongue back in. That had been flat out incredible. Her speed simply wasn't human. She flowed and the shinai struck her but it was clear that she was unharmed. The low warning growl issuing from her mouth also said she was upset.

"Nuku Nuku doesn't want to fight but she will. Ranma-san was nice enough to give me his shirt when mine was ruined." her tone changed to something more adult which jarred her father. "I do not appreciate people who attack my friends. You are his girlfriend or something? Keep it up and he'll probably leave you. Keep that in mind. If you attack me again then we will discuss this further." her hands clenched so hard that a crack was heard. Her Papa-san was going to have to fix some of the servos in her hand after that last stunt. Suddenly she was all smiles again which had the youngest daughter wondering if she took medication.

"Nuku Nuku would like to be friends with Akane-chan!" she chirped pleasantly. The meeting broke up at that point with the teens leaving the table. Atsuko took her little brother to their room. She was lead by Kasumi. Nabiki had retreated to her room to calculate the knowledge she gained and how much could be made off of it. Ranma and Akane had retreated to the dojo. The former was actually livid while the latter was shamefaced and nervous. That would be an interesting talk. Soun and Kyuusaku were left alone at the table.

"I am terribly sorry. She really is a sweet girl but sometimes a violent maniac." the head of the Tendo house said sheepishly.

Kasumi sneezed.

"Uh right...does that happen often?" Kyuusaku asked nervously. Poison One helicopters he could deal with but a potentially unstable girl around his family? No way was that going to be allowed.

"Akane is a little highstrung." the scientest inserted 'psychopathic' while Soun rambled "But she really isn't that bad. You just caught her on a bad day. I truly am sorry that your daughter was hit. Will she be alright?" Soun was genuinely worried for the child. Normally Akane didn't miss but if she had the potential to miss again he would have to tell her to cut it out.

"Ah Nuku Nuku will be okay. She's taken harder hits then that from the Mishima helicopters." the Natsume patriarch waved it off airily. Soun seemed taken aback by that but the scientist continued. "I'm more worried about my son if this kind of behavior persists. Does this sort of thing happen often?" he asked curiously. Now the Tendo patriarch was sweating.

"Ranma's friends are so exuberant when they come over that things can get a little out of hand. If they know a child is around they would be careful I'm sure." he reassured the other man while hoping it was true. Kyuusaku mused over what he just heard. The father in him was telling him to take his babies and run for the hills. When the giant panda walked in and turned into a portly bald man in a white gi however, the scientist demanded that he stay. Too bad his inner child was fascinated by the panda too so it was a foregone conclusion.

"That was...that was...FANTASTIC! How did you DO that?" the scientist was bouncing in place excitedly. Soun realized that he need not have worried. For once Genma had come through in an unexpected fashion. The man looked from his friend to the madman with a raised eyebrow.

"Did I miss something?"

-Dojo-

Ranma had entered the dojo with Akane in tow and had immediately begun sparring at the highest level he could go without endangering the girl. The reason was that he was too pissed off to speak coherently. Akane had hit the girl without a thought. Sure it was clear the Nuku Nuku had jumped in front of the shinai but the fact that Akane struck out at all had finally pushed him over the edge. He knew it wasn't fair to just talk to his fiancee so he was going to talk to the purring girl as well. Not to yell at her obviously but just to set some ground rules. She seemed reasonable.

This is Ranma folks. Ever the eternal optimist.

Akane was watching his workout slowly wind down with a sense of dread. She knew the idiot wouldn't hit her in anger but she also knew that she was in for a severe dressing down. The girl had not been in her line of fire when she swung the weapon down. She didn't know the girl was actually going to take the hit. Why was he mad at her anyhow? She ALWAYS hit him and he never got this angry before. Her mind already glossing over how she had hit someone else who might not have been able to take it. The little boy had been nearby and could have seen his sister getting hit. That thought was glossed over as well. It wasn't that she was a bad girl. She was just a product of conditioning. Finally Ranma ground to a halt and sat across from her. He was sweating and obviously winded, but at least he was in control of himself. Akane decided to be helpful and splash him with cold water to cool him down.

Ranma-chan almost had to do another twelve katas to relax.

"Alright. We need to get one thing straight." the redhead began. When Akane went to speak a quick glare silenced her. "As long as the Natsumes are staying here I would insist that you NOT hit me. Sound good?" he asked. The answer had better be yes or there would be a reckoning. Akane didn't see that though.

"As long as you don't do something perverted with that hussy it's fine. I won't hit you." she said. Somehow she knew that she had said the wrong thing. Maybe it was because her fiancees eyes had begun glowing solid blue or the fact that her hair came out of the pigtail and was floating like a lazy halo of red. The ground beneath her was actually chilling so quickly there was a pop from the warping wood.

"Do not hit me. Period. If she does something I will handle it. If I do something then I will deal with myself. You are not my conscience. Can we at least pretend to be friends?" Ranma grated out. Akane gasped softly at the last part. She didn't realize it was that bad.

"Y-you don't think we're friends?" she blinked. Her chest was hurting. Despite her seeming obliviousness she wasn't a complete moron. It hurt to hear that. The boy-turned-girl couldn't lie to save her life. Is that how she viewed the situation?

"Are we friends? As far as I know friends don't smash each other in the skull when they're upset. Ukyou isn't my friend. Not anymore. What kind of friend throws live explosives over something she disagrees with? I have finally opened my eyes and I'm growing up. Are you going to grow up too?" Ranma asked with deceptive mildness.

"I-I'll try." Akane said in a soft whisper. Ranma's eyes softened and the pyrotechnics died down finally. Then with her traditional cocky smirk firmly in place she patted the blue haired girl on the shoulder.

"Good t'hear. Let's go inside." the redhead said with a smile and stood up. They stepped outside. The short haired girl was pensive. If she was cutting off her friendship with Ukyou over one incident then it said a lot for the chance she was given. It was definitely a tightrope to walk. One slip and that would be it. That bothered her more than she expected. Suddenly a voice cried out.

"Ranma-san?" as Nuku Nuku leapt out the window before landing on all fours. She gave the redhead a curious look before her confusion cleared and she glomped onto the smaller girl. Ranma was about to comment about the situation. Akane found it easier to see the situation and found some genuine humor in it. She grabbed the teakettle from where Kasumi usually keeps it and turns Ranma back into a boy. The pinkish purple haired girl gaped in wonder before giving Ranma a tighter hug.

"That is soooo cool Ranma-san!" she caroled out.

"Ack..Nuku Nuku not so tight! Losing...consciousness..." he trailed off but relief came from an unexpected source.

"Truly. I would never have believed it had I not seen it myself." Kuno was standing on top of the wall with a barrel of something beside him. The teens looked in the insane kendoist's direction. They blinked in unison as he struck what he assumed was a heroic pose.

"Uhm...you've seen it before..." Ranma said with a sweatdrop.

"Never did any good before..." Akane said with a sweatdrop as well.

"Mrew?" the confused kitty noise was almost Ranma's undoing but he kept himself together. Saffron really had made it easier as did exposure to neko Shampoo but it still rattled him.

"Do not fear for I come with an offering of peace! A cure to your terrible plight! It was shipped from China just this morning so I hope it helps ease your pain." The scion of the House of Kuno patted the cask. If it was Spring of Drowned Man water than Ranma was cured but there was currently two girls near him. Not a good mix. He was trying to disengage Nuku Nuku but it was like trying to bend steel with a toothpick. Pointless and silly looking.

"Oh crud...this is not good...Nannichuan with two women around..." Ranma thought furiously. Akane seemed to figure things out and was trying to coax Nuku Nuku off of him.

"A-Atsuko...we should go inside now. Let them handle this." Akane pleaded but the mewling girl refused to cooperate. The situation, which was desperate before, had just taken a rather chaotic turn. The pigtailed boy had mused on his life and realized that he shouldn't have been surprised.

"Do not fear for this shall not harm the fair ones beside you! It shall however bring me my pigtailed goddess forever! Behold the Nyannichuan!" he kicked the barrel in their direction. That was kind of funny actually. The Drowned Girl water really had no affect on him. It couldn't lock a curse so for once this stupid plan was just all wet. The water cascaded over them harmlessly.

"Well that was the lamest..." Ranma was about to taunt Kuno but Nuku Nuku had let go of him with a pained scream. Lightning was arcing from her body in violent bursts. Plasma fire had erupted from her body and seemed to be burning without consuming her though her shrieks increased in pitch. It was the sound of ultimate suffering. The sound that the pigtailed boy identified with the Pit. His heart crashed as she hit the ground smoking. Aside from the loss of clothing she seemed alright. Akane rushed to her side and checked her pulse.

"It's steady." she said with relief. The whole family had rushed outside to see what had happened. Kuno was staring in horror from the wall at what he had almost caused. He almost killed the girl with his gift to the goddess. Kyuusaku hurried over as well as Ryuunosuke. Nuku Nuku was still unconscious. When they looked to Ranma it was with shock they realized he had claws sprouting from his fingertips.

"Neko-ken...? But why...?" Genma asked in confusion. No one could answer him. Ranma let out a fierce yowl.

"How dare you...you arrogant...selfish...piece of shit! KUNO NO BAKA!" Ranma-chan roared out as she slashed his clothes to ribbons before punting him towards the Arctic Circle. Let him fondle penguins for awhile.

"What the hell...?" the scientist breathed in disbelief. Ryuunosuke also looked shocked beyond belief. The family gathered around him in concern. Her chest was rising and falling easily so he should be happy but inexplicably he sounded distressed.

"What's wrong? She's alive and well, right?" Kasumi asked concerned. If she had looked at Nabiki she would have seen a similarly shocked expression. No one else could figure out why he was so worked up.

"She's alive." that about summed up why he was shocked and upset. He wasn't upset that his personal Pinnochio had become a real girl but...how would she take it?

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Hope you can forgive the cliffhanger. I couldn't resist besides I had enough for one chapter with that. Please leave your comments and criticisms alright? Flames are good for cooking with. Thank you and ja ne!


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or Nuku Nuku. If I did I would be rich.

Author's Notes: Another chapter already? Apparently this story has been so good for my writer's block that I may actually be able to tackle another chapter of TNGB soon. Is that good news or what? As for this story I don't see a clear ending in sight. Thank you for the positive response to the last chapter's cliffhanger ending. The explanation for how a machine could become a real girl will be in here. Anyone who can tell me where the title for this chapter came from will get special mention in the next author's notes. With that said let's get on with the show!

Random Destiny

Chapter 3

Dreams of Electric Sheep

Kyuusaku lit his cigarette absently. He needed the nicotine badly because this was going to be a long story and he needed something to fortify himself. His son sat at Nuku Nuku's bedside. The girl had yet to wake up. It was troubling and he found his hands shaking. The word Jusenkyo was rattling about in his skull teasingly. Magic. He had never believed in it before until a certain cat girl named Nuku Nuku had bounded into their lives. It was a simple magic made possible by the kind and loving heart she held. Despite her electronics and mechanical parts she was every bit as real as any other girl where it counted. Now due to a freak accident of powerful magic she was a real girl. The Tendos and Saotomes sat before him as they waited for him to begin.

"I can't speak for what exactly happened. It would take extensive tests and research which I actually have no idea how to perform. I digress. Atsuko is actually an android. Before you tell me that's impossible how does turning into other things with cold water sound? Equally impossible. I was a scientist for Mishima Heavy Industries. One night I took my son and an experimental android away from them. On the way my son found a cat but during a short shootout the cat died. I placed the brain of the cat inside the android. The reason we were evicted was because my wife, the daughter of the owner, kept trying to take back our son with war machines that frequently tore apart the neighborhood." he took a drag from his cigarette.

"Once again, I digress. You can see why I'm so surprised by the fact that she is now alive in the human sense of the word. I would call it a miracle but I don't how my daughter will handle it. She's used to protecting her little brother but can she even do that now? Would hot water change her back to an android and cold water reverse the process? I wish we had an expert on the subject." he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"I think I might know somebody. We could talk to Cologne." Akane said. The other members of the house looked at each other. It was a good idea but invoking her could almost be as bad as Happosai at times. What would she charge?

"It does look like somethin' the Old Ghoul might find interestin'." Ranma mused as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"True, but what will she want in return?" Nabiki asked. The pigtailed boy gave her a smirk that pretty much told her he knew something she didn't. Just then Kasumi gasped softly.

"Oh, Elder Cologne! I'll get you a cup of tea!" the eldest Tendo daughter rushed into the house to fullfill her hostess duties. The middle daughter slowly turned her head and almost leaped out of her skin at the visage of the ancient crone a mere foot away from own. Kyuusaku peered at her intently.

"Ah...we have something to be doing right Saotome?" Soun asked worriedly. Cologne was smiling and that was never a good sign.

"Indeed." Genma concurred and the brave martial artists fled into the house. The aged matriarch laughed uproariously at their departure only to stop. She peered at the scientist in mild amusement as he fingered her shriveled arm. He made a few appreciative noises much to the remaining teens confusion.

"Hmmm...well aged. If the parchment texture of the flesh is any indication you are three hundred and some change. You definitely aged well." the satisfied scientist sat back. Which drew a sharp laugh from the ancient mummy. She already liked this guy.

"Well that was certainly an entertaining story. The way you speak of her it is clear that she is very real to you even if she was an artificial being. I actually couldn't tell that she wasn't alive from a distance. She is truly a unique specimen. I think I know what happened actually. You and your son had so many feelings wrapped up inside of her that she not only became real to you but she developed a true sense of self beyond the...programming. Jusenkyo requires a soul to lock onto in order to affect the changes. The clash between magic and science should have left your child a pile of inert scrap but her sense of self was so strong she won out. She is a living being as you put it. Will the water change her back? It can't. The pyrotechnic display that drew me here was the magic clashing with the science destroying her old body. I doubt her mechanical abilities would have transferred to the living body." she smirked at the stunned expressions on everyone's faces. Kasumi almost couldn't hand her the tea since her hand was wobbly.

"Hold it. Jusenkyo can do that?" Ranma blinked in shock. This was cool but definitely weird. The cat brained android had become a real girl? He had to clarify that.

"Obviously it can otherwise she would have been destroyed. Magic hates science and science hates magic. They both deal with energy flows but it would be like putting you in a room with a cat. No mix." she told him only to get a sheepish smile. Akane looked a tad strained.

"How do we know they didn't mix? Ranma has been hanging around her and he's not scared of her. She's got the mind of a cat but it doesn't bother him." she told the now thoughtful matriarch. Kyuusaku rubbed his stubbled chin absently, nodding.

"That does seem to be the most likely answer. If Ranma can strike a compromise with ailurophobia which he's never done before then it might be possible for magic to reach an agreement with science. We'll wait until she wakes up to run a few tests. Actually I'll get her to deploy her antennae. If those still work then we'll know that's what happened." he said. It was the best idea they had until his equipment arrived.

"If that is settled why don't we go inside and get something to eat? Ranma, would you take something up to Ryuunosuke and Nuku Nuku-chan?" the kindly girl asked. The pigtailed boy nodded as she set up a tray. Since it was Ranma taking it up she was able to place a lot on the tray. If Nuku Nuku woke up then she would probably need a lot to eat since she was just brought to life today.

Ah Kasumi is so sweet and compassionate. Truly there is no better person in all of Nerima. Alright, that's enough Kasumi worshipping.

Ranma took the laden tray from Kasumi and went up to Happosai's old room. It would be a long time before he would fully get rid of those memories but at least someone kinder was in there. That was what he focused on. There was likely to be a very confused and scared girl shortly. He picked up what had been said but it sounded like garbage to him. The kind of talk two people get into to try and impress the other. He'd figure it out and tell it to her straight. No bullshit. The old room had a new nameplate on it "Natsume". According to what they did the night before there was a privacy screen for Atsuko. The size of the room was pretty big but ultimately small if they were going to actually live in there which is why the agreement was they could use any part of the house. A pretty sweet deal considering that Nabiki brokered it. He didn't have a high opinion of the mercenary anymore ever since the wedding.

"Dinner time." Ranma called through the door. It opened to reveal the concerned face of Ryuunosuke. The kid was so calm and gentle that it was no wonder why everyone wanted to protect him. His mom sounded like a piece of work. If one of those Mishima jerkwads showed up he'd ram a Moko Takabisha so far up their collective asshole they'd never sit down again. Jusendo taught him the value of mercy and fair play. Basically when it's okay to say enough is enough and give it to them hard.

"Oh hi Ranma. C'mon in. Uh...she's awake by the way. My sister seems to be in shock." he told the pigtailed boy. Carefully he got the food into the room and set it on the small table. Ryuu went behind the screen to tell his sister who was there. The gender bending martial artist let his senses expand through the screen to "look" at her ki. When he had first done it all he could tell was that she had some form of life energy which turned out to be electricity. Now she had ki. A small amount, largely untrained, but it was there. Her physical power seemed to be quite impressive though. In a strict ki fight though she would lose badly. He was brought from his musings by the Natsume boy coming back.

"She says she'll talk to you. Please make sure she eats something okay? I have to tell Dad." he grabbed a few meatrolls off of the tray before heading out. The pigtailed boy went around the corner with the tray. Atsuko was sitting up on the futon in one of Kasumi's nightgowns that she had lent her. Ranma sat down with the tray placed within reach of the girl. Nuku Nuku didn't even remotely look like her usual self as described by Doctor Natsume. Oh her physical appearance was normal but she didn't seem all that perky.

"What? No "Ranma-san"?" he tried jokingly. She looked to him with a fleeting smile. Something was bothering her greatly.

"It's strange. I always wanted to be a real girl but now that I am...why am I miserable?" she asked. The only one who would give her a straight answer she felt was Ranma. As one cat to another he wouldn't lie to her. He was a responsible Alpha of which she was certain. She was absently rubbing her hands along her living skin, feeling real nerves and not simulations.

"Because you're feeling all your new limitations. You're flesh and blood. You can't be rebuilt or upgraded. If you're body is destroyed you are dead. Simple as that right?" he asked her in return. As she went to nod he startled her with a forceful "Wrong!"

"W-what do you mean Ranma-san?" she asked in surprise. Her real heart was beating quite fast from the shock. Her lungs were sucking in oxygen. She forced herself not to hyperventilate with surprising ease earning an approving nod from Ranma.

"You're already learning how to control your body. Limitations are something you had to live with as a machine. You couldn't swim. You couldn't really feel. Now you're past those barriers and can actually enjoy a real life. You can heal. Not quite like being rebuilt but you grow stronger for the experience. You can train to grow in strength. Forget costly upgrades since you can do it yourself now. You can die which makes every experience that much sweeter. Something happened to me recently that showed me that last part." he whispered softly. The catdroid-turned-human looked at him for the first time without the perceptions of her being a machine. He knew he had gotten through to her.

"R-Ranma-san...!" she sobbed out as she clung to him, crying hard. The pigtailed boy nervously put his arms around the crying girl, trying to comfort her like Kasumi would for him after nights with the Neko-ken dreams. Her cries were not broken hearted however. She sounded strangely as if she were rejoicing. It was an oddly wonderful sound. He held her until her storm of weeping had passed and laid her back down gently. She had cried herself to sleep. He stayed beside her, watching her sleep in amazement, until quite late.

-Downstairs-

The conversation between Genma and Soun was surprisingly deep. For once. They were conversing about the new houseguests. The Tendo patriarch actually seemed to like them. Atsuko was the first of Ranma's friends to be in the house more than five minutes without breaking anything or threatening death on obstacles. The fact that they were paying to live there also made him more charitable. What man would he be anyway to let a family go out on the street when he could shelter them? He was an honorable man indeed just vastly misguided.

Genma was all in favor of telling them to hit the road. The boy was becoming distracted by the android-turned-human girl much to his displeasure. He stated his reasoning to the Tendo patriarch calmly and rationally...wait, I'm sorry, this is Genma we're talking about. He was telling Soun how he was positive that the purple haired vixen was a threat to the Tendo-Saotome agreement. He was trying to start a little war in Soun's brain that would result in him convincing his buddy to throw them out. It would have been perfect except for one thing.

There was no honor in throwing out a destitute family. The Natsumes were completely homeless if they didn't have the Tendo-ke to call home. That was not something the Tendo patriarch would wish on anyone. It all boiled down to simple logic for Soun. If it had been his own babies and someone threw them out, how would he feel? Also the fact that Kyuusaku was a reasonable individual who didn't fly off the handle at every little thing. His therapist had told him that he needed better friends to pattern his behavior off of. The scientist seemed better adjusted than he did.

"Are you going to forsake the agreement and sully our honor? You know where the greater dishonor would go of course..." Genma was too heavily into his sake or he would have realized quite fast that he shouldn't say that to his best friend. That was the surest way to get the other man's ire up and he lit up like Vesuvious. Akane would have been impressed.

"Why don't you shut your mouth on things you obviously do not understand fool? My family is important to me and so is their honor. I don't care about my personal dishonor but if it reflects on my family then I do my best to correct it. You lied, cheated, and stole on your journey. Not to feed Ranma or care for him better but to satisfy your own needs. Do not lecture me on dishonor. I am cutting off this engagement right now since you feel it would be such a dishonor." Volcano Soun had erupted and had taken out Genma's village of dreams with the lava flow. The bald man sweated tremendously as he wondered why he said that.

"Uh...but the joining of the schools..." he protested. It got him about as far as a doughnut would get rolling in front of a fat security guard, or himself, which means not very far.

"Ranma may continue to live here since this has been his home. He will teach Akane the Saotome Branch and we will fullfill the honor agreement that way. I will teach him the Tendo style. How about that lardman? I need to do what I should have done. I am ashamed of myself for letting you dictate even a fraction of what goes on under my roof. Get your things and leave this instant or I will have Ranma throw you out. With everything you've said and done, who do you think he would listen to?" Soun asked contemptuously. It was no secret that Soun treated Ranma better than Genma did and had actually been more of a father to him. The pigtailed juggernaut would be more than happy to roll over his deluded sire.

"But Happosai..." the man without a leg left to stand on tried appealing to the old training buddy with horror stories only to be silenced by a full blown Demon Head ver 9.0. It was definitely inspired by Gold Digger since he was a closet otaku of American anime hence the burning skull reeking demonic aura.

Several groups of scantily clad demon hunters shuddered in terror all over the island.

"**GET YOUR FILTHY ASS OUT OF MY HOUSE THIS INSTANT!**" the head roared terribly with enough force to rupture eardrums. The newest version made it silent to all but the victim. Genma had just recieved the aural equivalent of a nuke. He decided that he didn't like it and quickly hastened to do what he was told. Somehow Soun managed to evoke more terror than Happosai ever could. Then again his old buddy had more dirt on him than even Nabiki. With that, he fled into the night back to his home to lament to his dear wife only to find that he would be sharing a bed with not only just her.

Katana-sama had a lacy new slip cover.

Soun went back to staring at the shogi board as Kyuusaku sat across from him. The scientist gave the patriarch of the Tendo clan a slight smile. The pensive man gave his new houseguest a smile and began setting up the pieces.

"Do you play?" he asked the Natsume patriarch.

"Why not? I haven't my brain stimulated enough tonight." he told the other man wryly. The two men began laughing at that. It wasn't that it was particularly humorous but the soul always needed a good, cleansing laugh to free it. The two began to play. Much to Soun's pleasure the man seemed to pick up the finer points of Anything Goes Shogi quite fast. Pretty soon the two men were moving, and removing, pieces at a fantastic rate. It wasn't really cheating since it does take skill to pull off clever misdirections without being caught.

-Kitchen-

Kasumi set out a plate of cookies and milk for Ryuunosuke. The boy was sitting there staring at the space in front of him as if he was lost. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was wrong. She sat down at the table with him. He looked up at her and caught her most winning smile. His brain slipped a track as he suddenly had a vision of his mother with that same smile. It had been before the whole business with Mishima that had turned his parents into adversaries. That wasn't so bad but the painful fact they still loved each other hurt him. Then to have his own beloved sister be so distressed. It was too much to bear for an eight year old.

"Don't worry Ryuu-chan. Kami-sama never gives us any more than we can handle. This storm shall pass and the sun will come out soon. You have come to a very special place. A place where things turn out all right with hard work. Happy endings can be found here. Our family had happy times but none as happy as when Ranma came into our lives. He can be brash, arrogant, and overconfident, but as he says...It's only overconfidence if you can't back it up." she did a fair imitation of his usual dialect which earned her a smile.

"I-It's been like that since Nuku Nuku came into our lives. She's been the glue holding our family together. Always trying so hard to make us happy because that always made her happy, but lately she's been unsatisfied. She used to like playing with the Mishima stuff but now..." he shrugged his shoulders.

"It was the same old grind. That can be heard around here on occasion. Things become boring and you begin looking for something unique or more exciting to latch onto. Your sister seems to have latched onto poor Ranma." she giggled softly. The boy ate a cookie with a smile.

"Why do ya say "poor Ranma" Kasumi-neechan?" he asked. Not sure why he said that to her except that it felt right.

"The boy was taken from his mother at six years old to train in the martial arts. He has three fiancees that compete for his affection violently at times. His rivals all try to mangle him in one way or another. Also some of the challenges he recieves are just off the wall. Martial Arts Tea Ceremony? However that one does sound like one I would excell in." she mused thoughtfully. Ryuunosuke took a deep swig of milk since he was too young for sake but for some reason that seemed like a good idea.

"What about his friends?" he asked only to earn an unladylike snort from Kasumi. That seemed somehow wrong to the boy even though he had just met her that night. She gave him a small smile.

"The blinders finally came off recently. Chaos piles up around here like dung in a stable and it's left to Ranma to muck it out. His friends don't do a thing about it. They pile more onto his already Herculean workload. There have been times they actually stood beside him but not enough to make me forget. I can forgive since they all seem to have been raised by wild apes but...don't tell anyone I said that." Kasumi giggled as she tweaked Ryuunosuke's nose. The boy laughed softly at that and ate another cookie.

"Aside from me and Dad...she doesn't have too many friends either. The one she had "Emi-chan" I wished I could take a wrench to her on a few occasions." he told her with an irritated eye roll. Kasumi's eyebrows almost shot up into her hairline at that bald statement.

"But violence against women..." she began only to be quickly placated by Ryuunosuke.

"Sorry Kasumi-neechan. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant to fix her personality circuits. She's an android too who keeps trying to "bodyjack" my sister. Meaning she hates her model body and wants to take Nuku Nuku's...well that will have to stop since it's not even an android's anymore..." he stared off into space. The Tendo girl breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't meant against a real girl...but then again...what constituted real anymore?

"Do robots dream of electric sheep..." she whispered softly. Ryuunosuke blinked in astonishment. It was a good question really. Not because of the dreams reference but what was meant by "real"?

"Where did you get that?" he asked her in awe.

"A movie called Blade Runner. It took place in the future where rogue androids were hunted by the police and destroyed. At the end of the movie you discover that the hero is actually one of those rogue androids and we never suspected throughout the entire movie. It makes you wonder in this world of magic and science. How can we say something isn't "real" when things created by man or by nature ask us to reevaluate our views daily?" she asked him. The boy blinked in amazement. She was not only was she the perfect example of Japanese womanhood she possessed a mind to make his father sweat bullets and salivate to plum the depths of. She was definitely someone to be looked up to.

"I never thought of it like that..." he mused quietly as he munched another cookie. Kasumi rested a hand on his shoulder softly.

"We'll rent the movie sometime." she promised and went back to setting up the ingredients for breakfast. Thorough and regular as clockwork was how she kept her ship. Another thing that he respected.

-Nabiki's Room-

The mercenary sat with her ledger out making notations in it. This had been more entertaining than she thought, Nabiki smiled at that. She had been getting bored lately but definitely not since Nuku Nuku arrived and it was such a short time ago too. There was definitely possibilites and with how well she was put together there would be photo opportunities as well. Of course she would have to be even more discreet but with normal human senses the former catdroid would be easy to spy on. There was a knock on the door. Hiding her irritation she put her ledger away.

"Yes?" it was not really a question or an invitation. It was a demand for information. Much to her surprise it was Akane who strode into her room. The younger girl looked more determined then she had ever seen her. There was a strange look in her eyes. Almost like when she was calling Ranma a pervert and was about to bash him. Something had set baby sister off.

"Nabiki. We need to talk." she began as she shut the door. Nabiki looked at her briefly before typing a few things on her computer.

"Time is money and I hope you have some if this isn't something worth my time." The mercenary said cooly. She felt a strange draft as her chair was spun a tad forcefully to face her sister. The look was much more pronounced. A ruined monitoring device fell into her lap. Nabiki looked up at her baby sister with a raised eyebrow.

"That was found in the Natsumes' room by Ranma tonight. Now I had a choice. Play pound the pervert which would have been wrong since he's behaving himself or come after the bigger pervert. She has enough shit going on right now without your money making schemes. Back off. You're getting rent from them. If I, or Ranma, catch you again the next step is Daddy." Akane said in a voice that dropped below freezing. Nabiki idly wondered when sis had learned the Soul of Ice.

"Well if Ranma would keep the damage down then I wouldn't have to..." she was stopped by her sister's glare intensifying. Nabiki looked into those angry orbs and almost embarassed herself and their ancestors with loss of bodily function. Something was terribly wrong with that gaze.

"Do not blame him for the mistakes you make. His playmates come over to make trouble and in quite a number of instances you have fueled the fire. The wedding was just the last straw. I don't trust you anymore which is why I'm telling you to back off. If I tell Daddy about this then you can deal with his displeasure." she started for the door only to be stopped by Nabiki.

"What could he possibly do to me?" she asked arrogantly.

"Think about this. He kicked out Saotome-san tonight." with that she left the room. The brown haired girl blinked in astonishment. If he kicked out his old training buddy then it meant he was growing a spine. An honest to Kami spine. That would be bad for future ventures. For now she would listen to her sister. For now.

-Natsumes' Room-

Nuku Nuku had woken up again and was eating the dinner that Kasumi had prepared. She kept sneaking glances at Ranma who had not let her out of his sight. It was an amazing feeling to actually smell without synthesizers or speak with an actual larynx. To be able to do the things that humans can do. The pigtailed boy had asked her about the antennae her Papa-san mentioned and they had slid right out as usual. It seemed as if he had expected that actually. So she wasn't a normal human which made her a bit happier actually.

"Nuku Nuku wants to thank Ranma-san for helping her." she said cutely. Ranma gave her a smile and popped a meatroll into his mouth.

"No problem. We are gonna have to test you out tomorrow to see what you can do. You were pretty strong as a robot so you might have lost some strength. Though I think you might have gained in agility since you're not limited to a mechanical body." he said. Actually he was looking forward to training with her. It would help bring Akane around if there was another girl learning. She would keep begging him to take her seriously but when given the chance she would pass. Not anymore. He couldn't allow her to keep running from it. In the running there was Ranma in the lead. Ryoga was second, Shampoo was third, Ukyou was fourth, Kuno was fifth, Konatsu was not really a fighter but could have held second easily. In the ranks Akane was maybe sixth or seventh best. Now there was Nuku Nuku and he had no idea where she would place.

"It feels so strange...uh...Ranma-san...?" she asked worriedly. Ranma blinked.

"What's wrong Nuku Nuku?" he asked curiously.

"I-I think I need to use the bathroon." she said as a queer look passed across her face. Ranma absorbed that information before it finally processed.

"O-oh..." he chuckled nervously as he quickly helped her to the bathroom. How would he explain potty-training an android-turned-girl?

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Okay so the chapter was mostly serious. There are some concepts that needed to be explored and explained so I hope you can bear with me. What will happen next time? Who will attack next? Can Ranma pull this off without getting malleted? See ya next time for all this and more! Ja ne!


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or Nuku Nuku.

Author's Notes: The award goes to Wharpt, Ellen Kupheld, and Xtor49. Thank you very much for responding. I couldn't resist the temptation to actually put something serious and thought provoking in my story. To be honest I'm a bit overwhelmed at the response I've recieved for this story. Thank you all very much for reading. Since I don't have much to say let's just get on with the show.

Random Destiny

Chapter 4

Strong and Strike

Ranma suddenly sat up in his futon with a start. His heart was beating rapidly. It wasn't another dream of the Neko-ken. No, this dream was remembered terror from the night before. Akane had walked into the bathroom as he was trying to explain what to do to Nuku Nuku. His best plan had been to use his girl form to show her what he was trying to tell her. That was when his former fiancee had come in. He was sure that he had put out the sign but then again Nabiki could have moved it. Well, the short-haired girl hadn't blown a fuse, but she had kicked him out immediately to explain it herself.

"That was a good thing..." he said quietly.

"What was a good thing? Ranma-san? Why are you clinging to the ceiling?" Atsuko asked in confusion from beside his futon. The pigtailed boy was gripping the top of the room. He would never admit to fear but that had scared the crap out of him. She was so quiet! Ranma dropped back down to the floor lightly and sat down.

"Oy...that was a mean thing to do Nuku Nuku-chan." he gave her his best smirk and almost freaked when her eyes glazed over. One of these days he was going to register that smile as a lethal weapon. The former android stared at her hands in sudden embarassment.

"Sorry Ranma-san...but you said we were going to play this morning." she sounded so nervous that he got over his own nervousness quickly. No sense in having both of them be nervous wrecks. Hold on a minute, play? She thought of training and hard work as play? Then again she did have the brain of a cat so it stood to reason that anything physical would be playing.

"Sure. Let me get dressed and we'll head out to the dojo. Akane should be out there as well." he told her before getting up. As he rummaged through his drawer he realized something. Nuku Nuku was still in the room. He turned to look at her only to notice her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes a little glazed. The tapping of his foot drew her attention and she flushed even deeper guiltily. With a sheepish smile she left the room. Ranma sighed as he got his clothes on.

"This is going to be an interesting day..." he mused.

-Hallway-

Nuku Nuku was not used to having hormones. It was definitely a new experience for her in that regard. Well, she had them when she was a cat, but now she was appreciating them as a real girl. The kind of reaction that could only be brought about by the presence of a virile male. She shook her head to clear it before straightening the straps of the coveralls that she was wearing. Her belly shirt had been a tough choice actually since she was unsure how air would feel there. So many variables and no truly computer brain to compute it all.

"Why do I feel like this?" she asked the empty hallway. It was a simple question really, at least she thought so, but no answer was forthcoming. She knew that Ranma was an Alpha Male and should be respected but what she was feeling was beyond that. Some part of her wanted to drag him off somewhere and make like alleycats while another part wanted to go back and hide in her room.

"Hey, how are you feeling this morning Nuku Nuku?" her Papa-san's voice came from her left. She turned to face him and fell against his chest. Okay, so her legs were still wobbly. Normally Jusenkyo gave a person instinctive control of their new bodies but since her old one had been incorporated into this her body was unsure how to react. Kyuusaku caught her and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"Nuku Nuku is fine Papa-san. Just very confused." she told the good doctor honestly. He gave her one of his own grins that always made her giggle and kissed her on the forehead.

"That makes two of us. Though Ranma offering to train you is a great honor from what I've been able to gather. He doesn't usually have the patience. Take whatever opportunity presents itself. Who knows? You may integrate faster. I better get downstairs. Soun wanted to talk to me about the Council." with that he jogged down the stairs. Nuku Nuku leaned against the door absently just as Ranma was sliding it open. She let out a yelp of shock only to feel strong arms encircle her and a manly chest behind her.

"Whoa...careful there kiddo." he teased lightly. He also noticed that she wasn't trying to move away. The pigtailed boy sighed as he realized that his female problems may have increased by one.

-Downstairs-

Ryuunosuke waved to his father from his place at Kasumi's side. The scientist gave his son a smile and a return wave as the boy went back to helping the older girl to fix breakfast. He was enjoying himself immensely and the one he looked up to was also grateful for the assistance. The two of them had been awake for awhile and most of Kasumi's early morning chores were complete. The boy smiled up at Kasumi as she ruffled his hair fondly. They were actually continuing their discussion from the night before.

"So because we wanted her to be real she became real? Out of everything I've heard that makes the most sense." Ryuunosuke said as he was assembling her carefully prepared ingredients. The taller girl nodded approvingly.

"Nuku Nuku-chan has gained a definite personality and a force of will. If she hadn't had those then she would have been destroyed by the magic according to Elder Cologne. It does indeed make quite a bit of sense. I felt her personality when she arrived. It really was impossible to tell that she wasn't "alive" by the conventional meaning." she said as she set some things on the stove to heat up. Her partner in cooking was now more curious.

"Would Emi count in that as well?" he asked.

"From how you have described her she is too shallow and one-dimensional. Nothing would be created from that. Her only goal is to get a better body? Jusenkyo punishes. In this case it blessed. Perhaps it takes the heart of the victim into account?" she mused thoughtfully.

"Then why was Ranma-niisan punished?" Ryuunosuke asked.

"I know why his father was. Though I think you already guessed why on that score. As for Ranma, maybe it was to give him balance. He was entirely too macho in his attitudes. Maybe it was the springs trying to give him humility. Certainly fits the pattern." Kasumi said as they danced around one another to get the food set up. Just then Ranma and Nuku Nuku walked through the kitchen.

"Hey Kasumi, Ryuunosuke!" Ranma greeted them with a wave.

"Morning Kasumi!" she greeted the older girl before giving her little brother a big, warm hug. The boy returned it happily. His sister seemed more close to her old self this morning. The two of them skipped out the door with Kasumi saying that breakfast would be ready shortly. Ranma called back to hold breakfast for them. The girl looked shocked but agreed.

"What's wrong Kasumi-neechan?" Ryuunosuke asked puzzled.

"It's just that...he doesn't usually ask that. He's normally one of the first people at the table. Hmmm...then again he did promise to work with your sister today. If it comes to his needs and someone else's...he usually picks the other person." she nodded decisively. The boy blinked. This place really was a good place to be. Kasumi was right. If nice people such as this were around then maybe he would like it here.

-Dojo-

Akane was breaking blocks again. She wanted to be stronger but that idiot wouldn't teach her anything. Well, she couldn't really say that anymore. It had taken her awhile to realize but he had been training her all along. When she would go to hit and he would dodge away, Ranma was trying to work on her speed and coordination. Akane had never seen it that way so she had grown resentful and stopped pestering him to train her. It took her this long to realize that she had actually improved greatly. He had told her once that she was a melee genius. To be able to fight on a consistently high level no matter how many opponents she had was an incredible talent. Why hadn't she heard the compliment and only heard the criticism on her lost defense?

The sound of voices penetrated her concentration and she looked to the door of the dojo. Ranma walked in followed by a barefoot Nuku Nuku. The girl was complaining that she didn't like how the ground hurt her feet now. Akane actually understood why that was and her former fiance's explanation was accurate. It was a new body. She was essentially a newborn and had all the defenses of one. Until her new immune system was up fully she would be vulnerable to illness. All things that humans took for granted she would have to watch out for. Ranma's voice brought her from her reverie.

"Alright. Since I don't know where ya stand, why don't we see how you and Akane do?" he said to her. The cat girl smiled brightly and nodded. His gaze rested on her and it was at that moment she realized that all was forgiven from past training experiences. She had another chance!

"Let's play Akane-chan!" Nuku Nuku bounded out to the middle of the floor and assumed a stance so full of holes that the short haired girl would have to be stupid to miss them. Internally she winced. She got to the middle of the floor and squared off.

"Okay...I'll go easy on you." Akane told her.

"Don't." Ranma said, derailing her train of thought. She looked to him in confusion. His stance was serious.

"Don't go easy on her. Believe me. That could be worse than doing nothing." he said. Akane looked back to Atsuko only to see a strange smile on her face and her guard had firmed up a little. Oh shit! She almost screwed up badly and fell into a trap. The cat girl had skill and was trying to trick her. Akane smiled in appreciation.

"Alright Nuku Nuku...let's play!" Akane said before flowing in headlong to combat. The cat girl shifted to the side with the ease of long practice and tried to trip her but the other girl was ready for that and did a forward flip to avoid it. As she touched down she let loose with a spinning back kick that once again Nuku Nuku faded away from. It was like fighting Ranma except that it was clear she had no real martial arts knowledge. All she had was her instincts and speed though they seemed to be enough. Akane gave the girl a smile that obviously rattled her opponent.

"Kiyah!" she let out the call to battle as she once again rushed headlong to engage. As Nuku Nuku faded to the side Akane put on a burst of ki enhanced speed and rocketed into her line of movement. The cat girl went to dodge away again only to get caught once again by her opponent. Her eyes were wide with surprise as Akane jabbed her finger into Nuku Nuku's breastbone to simulate a killing strike.

"H-How...?" the girl was indeed thoroughly rattled by the display of skill.

"You telegraphed your moves. Maybe we should call you Morse?" Akane's smile was playful which took the sting from her words. Ranma clapped as he stepped toward them. His smile was approving.

"Very good you two. Nuku Nuku has excellent coordination and speed, but no real technigue. Akane, you have excellent technique, but your coordination and speed need work. It gives me a starting point to work at least. The two of you will be sparring partners until further notice." he told them both. The girls looked at one another with trepidation. The look on their sensei's face was anything but reassuring. This was going to be a long day.

-Later-

They hadn't gone inside all day for their meals so Kasumi and Ryuunosuke were kind enough to bring them their food. The testing had taken up the entire morning and the conclusion was that Nuku Nuku had enormous innate potential. Akane was also adapting and growing quickly, unsurprisingly to the pigtailed boy. The two of them were formidable in their own ways. The cat girl had incredible speed, agility, and coordination. His former fiancee had strength, coordination, and a high learning curve. He was so thrilled with their progress and the praise kept flowing.

It should also be noted that he discovered praise worked better as a motivator than insults. Both girls seemed to crave favorable attention. It made them work harder. He sort of wished Ryoga was there so the Lost Boy could help him out. Some of the training Ryoga put himself through would actually benefit Akane greatly. Why couldn't the porker be more reliable? His thoughts were sidetracked by Akane's squeal.

"P-chan!" she cried and scooped up her favorite little piglet. His smile turned slightly feral. 'Speak of the devil' he thought. Nuku Nuku had gone over to investigate the pig. Her face was all smiles as she went to scratch him behind the ears but Ryoga drew a line in the sand. He bit her fingers hard enough to draw blood. Akane was shocked at what the piglet had done. Nuku Nuku had started crying because of the pain and Ranma saw red.

"You little piece of shit! How dare you do that?" Ranma stomped over to Akane and yanked the animal from her hands. P-chan stared into his foe's eyes and had a clear moment of introspection. He had bit the girl without provocation. Oh sure, he had been pissed to see her, but she hadn't done anything to him today. Akane wasn't even trying to protect her "little baby" since she was bandaging the purple haired girl's hand. His nemesis held him to eye level and his little bladder almost betrayed him.

"Don't you dare come back Ryoga or I swear I will break your legs. Right now I'm far from being a sleeping tiger so back OFF!" he had been whispering up until that last word. Upon that last word he sent the pig sailing into LEO with enough force that he would find himself in Honshu before he stopped. The pigtailed boy went over to see if Nuku Nuku was alright. The poor girl was whimpering softly.

"It's only a small cut. Why would he bite Nuku Nuku though?" Akane asked as she rubbed the injured girl's back. It was clear that her pain receptors were also brand new. The cat girl was clearly in a great deal of pain. Ranma knew they would have to accelerate her training or else the pain dished out around here would overwhelm her. He didn't want Ryoga training Akane anymore. If the little freak came back then he'd have his own personal Moko Takabisha Double to play with.

"I don't know why he bit me...your pet is mean is Akane-chan." Nuku Nuku said as she rubbed her sore hand. Actual injury surprised her but strangely made her feel happy. The fact that she had blood finally drive it home that she was alive. Real blood. She stood up and bounced on the balls of her feet a little. Ranma's eyebrow went up.

"You still feel up to it?" he asked her. He knew she did otherwise she would have stayed down but he had to make sure. The almost feral smile he got in response from both girls told him they were still ready to go. He nodded and left the dojo with the sounds of violent training following him.

-Inside-

Ranma sat next to the shogi board as Soun and Kyuusaku mulled over what he said to them. Neither man was thrilled with the idea of a boy alone in the wilderness with their daughters. It was only the fact they knew he was an honorable young man that had them thinking it over at all. The pigtailed boy seemed to be hanging on every sigh as if expecting them to refuse. The two men looked at one another.

"How dangerous can Nerima be for the untrained?" Kyuusaku asked his new friend finally. The Tendo patriarch folded his arms and sighed.

"It can be dangeorus. The martial artists around here generally respect a person's wish not to fight but sometimes they can get too caught up. Your daughter and mine are both friends with a source of constant trouble." he gave Ranma a smile to remove some of the sting from his words.

"How long would you need?" Kyuusaku asked him. The gender bent martial artist seemed to give it some serious thought.

"To get Akane up to Shampoo's level would take a week at least. To get Nuku Nuku anywhere within NWC range would take a week as well. It would all depend on their drive but I say a week." he told them seriously. A whole week seemed like a bad thing to them. No one but Ranma to watch them. It wasn't that they didn't trust him but it was just that he was a boy. A light cackle almost made them jump.

"That sounds like a good idea. Everyone should go out to the woods to play. How about I bring Shampoo and Mousse along as well?" Cologne asked with a bright smile that would have scared a gargoyle into hiding. Ranma looked a little unsure when she mentioned Shampoo AND Mousse but it seemed to calm down the fathers.

"Well I don't see the harm in it, do you Natsume?" Soun asked in a hale and hearty tone. His friend gave that half insane smile he was famous for.

"Nah, sounds good Tendo. Sure. Have fun and pack plenty of warm clothes." he said as the two of them went back to the shogi board. The confused Saotome heir went with Cologne to stand by the koi pond. He looked to the mummy figure next to him in confusion. She looked back at him.

"What? Have a little faith in me. I only said that they would be coming with us to get them to relax a little more. Then again it might have backfired with how often my granddaughter has tried to kill Akane." a short bark of laugh interupted her. Ranma seemed surprised that she had such a sense of humor.

"We need to get them up to a higher level then they're at right now. Nuku Nuku probably coulda managed as long as she was still a robot." he said to her.

"Bakusai Tenketsu." the elder invoked the terrible words of the technique that destroys objects. Now he was doubly glad that she wasn't a robot anymore. A single touch with that would have killed her. The elder nodded her head as if she knew what he was thinking but then again she probably did.

"Feh...it's bad when we can think of the dishonorable stuff they'd do." he groaned. Cologne tapped him on the head with her staff to bring him out of his funk.

"Relax Ranma. Between three thousand years of Chinese Amazon tradition and knowledge coupled with youth we should have them whipped into shape in no time. That is what you want right? Personally I can agree with you there. Martial arts knowledge should not be hoarded but instead taught freely." the Matriarch said. Ranma grinned hugely as he stooped down in front of her. The two clasped hands.

"Alright then. Time to get "Project Make them Martial Artists" underway!" he said cheekily. The elder grumbled something about listening to Soun and Genma too much.

-Nabiki's room-

Nabiki Tendo was having what could be called a bad day. She had made quite a bit of money off the new houseguests already which should have pleased her. The only thing that detracted from her victory was her older sister seated on her bed. Kasumi was not one to get mad but things could become unpleasant. Clothes might not get washed or would turn strange colors. Meals would taste like Akane cooked them, or if she was expecially displeased, baby sister did cook them. It was something she had called the "little torment" because everything that went wrong was a small thing. Nothing too big. It just added up very quickly.

"What is it sis?" Nabiki asked seemingly nonchalantly. It was a good act and should have been perfect except for one thing. Her hands were shaking like leaves in fall. Kasumi was wearing a stern mask not unlike their father's. It usually foretold destruction. Somehow, Nabiki thought, that might be an accurate prediction.

"I picked up the phone a little earlier and heard the strangest thing. It sounded as if you were telling the people from Mishima where Nuku Nuku was. Now I don't think that I'm crazy or that I'm hallucinating. It seemed curious that you would call the people who do more damage in thirty seconds then the NWC does in half an hour." Kasumi sat calmly with her hands in her lap. She was so insufferably calm she wanted to strangle her. The mercenary knew the risks but the money would have been sweet. She knew that she had botched it when she heard the other line pick up.

"There are a lot of bills around here and since Ranma isn't paying..." she got no further when a thick wad of yen was thumped on her desk. The girl jumped slightly. Not just from the money but from the fact that Kasumi had whipped it a mere millimeter from her nose. When did her big sister get so good at aiming?

"That came from Ranma. He was giving me the money he earned because you would question where he got it. Then you would sell the information. He would lose the job because it's conditional on his "friends" not showing up at his work. As for the Natsumes. You are getting money from them and still you do this? When did you become so greedy? Nuku Nuku can't fight those Mishima people right now and her little brother could get hurt. So help me if anything happens to her or Ryuunosuke I will feed you everything Akane cooks and tell restaurants not to feed you." Kasumi folded her arms under her chest. Not an intimidating posture but her threat certainly was. Who is town wouldn't listen to Kasumi? As for the money from Ranma? She would have sold the information without finding out the conditions. Her head hit the desk rather hard.

"It's okay Nabiki-chan...You need to lighten up a little. Oh and the Mishima group wanted me to tell you that they don't appreciate prank calls. However did they get that idea?" Kasumi looked confused as she left the room. Nabiki sat at her desk and fingered the wad of yen. She scoffed at herself for letting this happen to her. Becoming so wrapped up that she couldn't see the truth more than five feet in front of her. The mercenary Tendo laughed softly before stowing the cash and getting back to her ledgers. At least she could bet on the chaos around this house without getting into trouble with her big sister.

-Nastumes' room: later-

The family sat around the small table as they went over what happened during the day. It was a tradition to get together like this. Nuku Nuku had her arm around Ryuunosuke as they faced their father. Kyuusaku was sipping tea and smiling. He supposed that his little girl would have to leave sometime and he was going to miss her terribly even if it was for only a week.

"You really wish to go with Ranma on this training trip?" he asked Nuku Nuku. The cat girl gave her Papa-san a small smile.

"We had a lot of fun playing today. Nuku Nuku also understands that she needs to be ready in case Mishima shows up. A week is short." her cheerful innocent tone changed to the more mature one they had heard only recently. "I can't afford to be weak when they come back. No way are they harming my family." and then she was all smiles again.

"What's going on Nuku Nuku?" Ryuunosuke asked in a worried tone. His big sister looked at him and gave him a warmer hug. She barely understood what was going on. Why was she acting like this? Her normal self was starting to feel alien.

"I think I have an answer for that." Kyuusaku said as he lit a cigarette. Both children turned to him as he took a long drag before blowing it out. It was a theory that had been kicking around his head for awhile.

"You're maturing. The basic personality program that I had created was designed to make you seem as human as possible. Somewhere along the way your cat personality got in and contaminated the original programming. I didn't care since it made you more alive. You had become very important to Ryuunosuke and I in a short period of time. Your sense of self grew. From what I've been able to tell you have grown in maturity as well. It was already starting to clash with your old self but now that you actually have hormones and real girl things to worry about the process has accelerated." he sat back with his arms folded. Nuku Nuku was staring at him in a mixture of wonder and horror.

"Is Nuku Nuku going to change?" she asked softly. Ryuunosuke was now the one giving her support as he stroked her back.

"On this trip why don't you get them to teach you meditation? It is a good way to relieve stress and analyze your feelings better. You will change but only you can dictate how. No programming will guide you on this journey." he told his daughter. The overwhelmed girl started to cry. The scientist added his arms to the group hug. Her family surrounding her, offering their warmth, she put her arms around them. She would dictate how she changed? Then she had better get started soon. The "other" was growing.

-Ranma's room-

He was actually having a good time talking to the wizened Matriarch. It had been some time since he could just talk to her without the threat of anything over his head. They had those moments before when she was just the teacher and he was just the student. Good moments that were as precious to him as when his father would actually teach him something. The training was their current topic of discussion.

"As far as speed goes, the most Akane could hope for is being a little faster than Ryoga. She has been training in power over speed for quite some time." he remarked to the elder.

"Have her try to swat bees out of the air? No, that was something silly you thought of." she cracked a smile at what he had been doing during the Bakusai Tenketsu training. He laughed softly at that.

"I was thinking weights actually. She could handle a lot of weight. Her frame would support it. The trick would be for her to move fast with it on." Ranma said as he packed a spare set of clothes.

"Uh huh...good for stamina as well. Actually I would suggest that for Nuku Nuku as well." she told her protege. The aquatransexual pondered for a moment before nodding his head in assent.

"Speaking of Nuku Nuku. Her speed easily rivals mine in guy form but I get the feeling that if we push her she might get as fast as my girl side. She wouldn't have the time to pick up the tricks I know but something would help." the pigtailed heir to the Saotome School mused.

In the end it was decided what each would be taught. Akane would be taught the Bakusai Tenketsu and would have help getting her speed improved. Technique wasn't the girl's problem. To Ranma and Cologne's eyes she was actually very good. She just couldn't hit what she was aiming at because of lack of speed. Soul of Ice would also be taught to her. It was an invaluable technique for her to counter her hot head.

Atsuko, or Nuku Nuku as she was more commonly called, would be taught the Katchuu Tenshin Amaguriken. She needed no help with speed or strength but she needed control and focus. Her biggest problem was tecnique. She needed better technique if she hoped to stand up to some of the challenges that came around here. As much as he hated to think of it, things around here could get crazy. She would need skill and lots of it.

"If I may be so bold..." Cologne began only to stop when Ranma looked at her directly. The boy couldn't believe how she was acting right now. That was not the old Mummy he knew.

"What's up?" he asked hesitantly. Something told him she was going to crash his thoughts down around his ears. He knew why he felt that way too. Instinct.

"You have to teach Akane the Saotome Ryu so that means all of the Saotome techniques right?" her tone was careful and controlled. She did not want to suggest it but it would be for the best reasons. The way to even up Akane and Nuku Nuku with the chaos that surrounded him. He had a chill run up and down his spine but there was no denying she was right. He was the only true master of them aside from his father which meant he would have to go around his old man for this one.

"Umi-sen-ken and Yama-sen-ken." he replied just as carefully as she had asked the question. This was going to be a long week and they had no time to waste. He was going to have push both of them to their limits and beyond. Break them and build them back up again. His heart was already bleeding.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: This chapter was taking a long time to shape in my mind. Next chapter begins the training arc. The main characters I will focusing on are the ones out in the wilderness so forgive me if no one else makes an appearance. Thank you for reading and ja ne!


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or Nuku Nuku. If I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

Author's Notes: A week does seem to be a short period of time to learn those techniques. I will explain how it's done in a satisfactory manner I hope. Thank you for all your comments and reviews. The words of encouragement you give to me are my bread and butter since I have no money to afford real food. Uh...that was a joke by the way. Nevermind the attempt at stupid humor. Let's get on with the show!

Random Destiny

Chapter 5

Unsealing the Forbidden Techniques?

Ranma and Cologne were marching ahead of a small procession of people. He had really wanted to keep the NWC out of this but there was no help for it. Short of killing them there was nothing he could have done to stop them from coming along. The pigtailed boy looked to the displeased elder hopping next to him. She was the most put out by this turn of events. Nabiki hadn't even sold this information. The usual crap had happened with everyone showing up just as they were leaving. The rogue's gallery included such names as Ukyou Kuonji, Shampoo, Mousse, and Ryoga. That was aside from the two who were heading up for training. Akane and Nuku Nuku. For once he wished sincerely that the Lost Boy would get lost, take everyone with him, and NEVER come back.

The bitching and whining hadn't stopped since they left Nerima. He was about to tear his hair out and the Soul of Ice had stopped working as effectively some distance back. The Fiancee Brigade was sniping at Akane for losing her membership. The short haired girl was close to blowing a fuse and would have too if not for the timely intervention of her new friend. The cat girl was firing back comments in her cutesy way but the venom in the words would have frightened a sailor. Mousse was declaring love to Nuku Nuku much to her displeasure. The only reason he wasn't in orbit yet was because of Akane keeping her calm. Ryoga was alternating between ingratiating himself to Akane and firing off hostile looks to the new purple-haired wonder.

He had enough of this garbage. His patience had worn so thin that a person could daylight through the other side. He looked to Cologne and saw that her patience was at an end. With that, he fired off a Moko Takabisha to the sky where it detonated with tremendous force. It was just a sample of his god-like ki reserves but it sufficed to shut up the marching band. He was careful not to turn his cold stare on the people who were supposed to be there but everyone else felt a thin layer of frost settle on their skin. Ranma grinned evilly when he saw that he had their attention.

"Well isn't this a special day, ne? The entire NWC out for a stroll through the woods and being so loud that they can probably hear ya back in Nerima! Chill out before I chill you out! Great Kami-sama up on high ye all are pissin' me off. Aside from Cologne, Akane, and Nuku Nuku-chan, the rest of you don't belong here!" he was sucking in air to continue when the babbling started.

"No allow Airen in mountains with Kitchen Destroyer and Tinkertoy Girl." Shampoo growled out only to get a growl from Nuku Nuku in return. She smirked in superiority over the other girl but Atsuko didn't rise to the bait. She merely turned her nose up and looked away much to the Amazon's annoyance. Before anything could develope from that, Ukyou butted her nose in.

"Ya couldn't leave your "Cute Fiancee" behind right Ran-chan?" she batted her eyelashes at him, trying to look winsome. To her pigtailed fiancee she looked too pushy, too needy, and too annoying. He hadn't always felt that way but the wedding sure opened his eyes.

"I couldn't allow you to go anywhere with my Shampoo you cad!" Mousse exclaimed hotly only to get brained by a bonborri and Mallet-sama. The two former rivals stared at each other before snarling at the other one and preparing to square off. Nuku Nuku leaped in on Akane's side with her hands positioned outward like claws while Ukyou was alongside of Shampoo with her Mega-spat in hand. Ryoga and Mousse had already started the party by enthusiastically butchering trees while missing each other completely.

Cologne's eyebrow started to twitch violently as things got more out of hand. The melee that ensued dragged everyone into the conflict except for the elder and her pigtailed protege. Ranma was scrubbing his fingers through his hair angrily. This was completely stupid. If they kept fighting like this then no training would get done. Oh they would improve but not in the direction he planned. The two shared a look before holding their hands out.

"Moko Takabisha!" the dual cry rang out and blue orbs of confidence energy rocketed out, impacting with both sides but remarkably leaving his trainees unscathed. Akane and Nuku Nuku were back to back, breathing heavily, and suffering from numerous superficial injuries. They both looked as if they had the most fun of their lives. With the enemies felled, the two girls glomped onto one another, laughing like children.

"Hmph. Maybe the Baka Brigade showing up was a good thing after all." Ranma commented to his most honored sensei. The aged Matriarch laughed.

-Campsite-

The size of the camp was considerable. Ranma set up his tent near the center with Cologne setting up one across from his. His students were sharing a two man tent between the two while Mousse had a tent all to himself. Shampoo voted to stay with her "airen" but her great grandmother vetoed that rather painfully with her staff. Ryoga set up his tent in such a way that he could "protect" Akane from Ranma's lecherous advances and Nuku Nuku's insane ways. Ukyou had her tent set up nearer to the perimeter with heat being provided by a griddle that Konatsu had mysteriously brought. The pigtailed martial artist was tempted to make a joke about guard rotations but didn't think they would appreciate it all that much.

"Same place that we did the Bakusai Tenketsu training. Perfect spot sonny boy." Cologne said to her star pupil as the two sat near the fire. The rest of the crew was down at the river washing up or off gathering fire wood. They were excused from actually having to work since the Matriarch had impressed on the rest of the NWC that they had invited themselves along. Coming from her that meant do as she said or pay the consequences.

"There isn't much out here to damage or break. Perfect spot is right. Though how are we going to deal with all these idiots?" he gestured to the other tents as if the poor things actually held their idiotic owners.

"Quite simple. Get them involved. We'll turn this into a week long training camp. Wake them all up early and if they want to complain they can go home. Focus of course on Akane and Nuku Nuku for your part while I make sure the rest are too busy and too tired to bother you. We'll trade off after lunch so that the natives won't complain too much." she suggested as she took another long puff from her pipe. Her evil grin matched Ranma's. When Ryoga ended up being the first one back he almost fled in the opposite direction.

"Uh...which way was the river again?" he asked nervously. The two grinning individuals somehow looked more evil.

"What about P-chan, Bacon Breath?" Ranma asked in response.

"Indeed...it would take a pigheaded individual to not realize what a dip could mean." Cologne returned. The martial arts god sniffed.

"The only dip around here is him. Right Pigskin?" he queried. Ryoga looked as if he was about to explode, hide in embarrassment, or both. Finally he settled for diving into his tent only to come flying out again much faster than when he went in and not in control. Nuku Nuku stuck her head out from having been woken up from her nap with a hiss. The two individuals sitting by the fire laughed so hard they needed each other for support.

-Night-

Nuku Nuku sat across from Akane in the tent they shared. The two girls couldn't sleep and it was because of the people who had come along with them. Ranma had laid down the law at dinner. He had told everyone that this week was not for the faint of heart. Everyone would be training, and training hard, or they would go home. From the way he said it, neither girl doubted that it would be hard work. The catdroid-turned-girl gave the nervous short-haired girl a friendly smile.

"Nuku Nuku thinks this will be fun." she said innocently, drawing a smile from Akane. Oh, Atsuko was nervous alright, but in the end it will have been worth it. If she could get just a hairsbreadth closer to where Ranma is then it would be so much better. Mishima wouldn't stand a chance against her once again and her family would be safe. She nodded in appreciation of her idea.

"It would have been fun if the Idiot Patrol hadn't found us leaving." Akane said petulantly. That had burned quite a bit. If they were there it meant that they would find a way to interfere. They always ruined it when she tried to have fun with Ranma. It wasn't fair that she wasn't allowed to have friends outside of Yuka and Sayuri. They were nice but they couldn't understand her truly. They weren't martial artists.

"Nuku Nuku thinks that Ranma-san will keep them from bothering us. Don't worry so much Akane-chan." Nuku Nuku said in her best cheerful tone that easily brought a smile to her new friend's face. That was what she was best at. She loved to make the people she cared about smile. Her mind drifted over her family slowly as she remembered their smiles and happy times. When her mind came to Ranma however, her smile turned a little wicked. Her new friend saw that smile and started giggling. The cat girl looked at Akane in confusion.

"Y-you too..." her giggling was a bit unnerving and what did she mean by that? Her friend continued even as she tried to stop her fit of giggling. Now that she was no longer a fiancee and had a chance to be his friend, this sort of situation could be funny. She had been so possessive because she didn't want her friend taken away.

"What is Akane-chan talking about?" Nuku Nuku tilted her head to the side.

"You're in love with Ranma...i-it's the only explanation...Though how it happened this fast is anybody's guess..." her laughter almost drowned out Nuku Nuku's next words but she heard them and silenced instantly.

"Neko-ken." Atsuko said softly. Her body trembled from renewed terror. Remembering the first time she met Ranma brought the fear back in sharp relief. She was barely conscious of arms enfolding her or of Akane gently rocking her back and forth. Her mind was in the Pit again. She had no idea how long she sat like that. All she knew was that her new friend had stayed with her the whole time.

"Wh-what happened Nuku Nuku-chan?" Akane asked softly. The cat girl looked into her eyes and came to a decision. She had to tell someone and she bet that Akane had experience dealing with this. One of the things she recalled the girl saying was that "Kitties can't get you here". How to explain that she was one of the kitties? Over the course of the next hour she told her friend of her experience and of how she first met Ranma.

Genma Saotome felt inexplicable dread shoot down his spine as he tried to cuddle Nodoka for warmth and ended up hugging the katana. The slip cover did feel nice.

Akane was in a state. She wanted to kill Genma but before that she wanted Nuku Nuku to talk to Ranma about this. Nuku Nuku didn't want to burden the Alpha with such foolish things but the short-haired and tempered girl insisted. The cat girl was summarily kicked out of the tent with only her nightshirt on. Since it was so late there was only Cologne sitting at the fire. The elder had taken to the idea of needing a sentry. Because of duty? Because she felt protective? From what the cat girl could tell...Shampoo snored. Loudly. How she ended up in Ranma's bed without waking him was a mystery.

Scratch that. The pigtailed boy could sleep through a typhoon.

"Come over here for a moment child." Cologne called out softly. Nuku Nuku padded over softly and sat down on the rock that Ranma had vacated just a few minutes ago. The elder knew that Ranma had heard the same story that Akane did. He wanted to talk to her about it but needed some time. The Matriarch was more than happy to oblige. Besides that, she wanted to talk to the girl anyway.

"What is it grandmother?" Nuku Nuku's casual impropriety warmed the old woman's heart. She brought one leg up to her chin and wrapped her arms loosely around it. The girl was a heartbreakingly beautiful child much like her great granddaughter. The main difference however was in the attitude. Pride can be worse sometimes than being too modest.

"How have you been holding up? This has to be a little overwhelming for you." the old woman asked kindly. The girl beside her gave her a cocky little smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. It was clear this was bothering her greatly. She was just too kind to burden anyone with her problems. What she failed to realize apparently was that her friends didn't mind sharing the burden. Something seemed to come over her and her face lost some of it's innocence. She seemed somehow more mature. The change was so stark a contrast that it bothered the elder.

"I'm not handling it well. Everytime I take a hot bath I expect to change back and be unable to become living again. I'm scared that I'll become just a...Tinkertoy Girl like your granddaughter calls me. Then there's the way I met Ranma-san. You probably were listening which is why you asked. Also there is my mysterious maturity. Papa-san said that I should learn meditation to control how I grow. I agree with him wholeheartedly since this doesn't feel right to me. This strange condition bothers me." Nuku Nuku's face changed back and she lost some of the higher bearing. Cologne had seen many strange things before but this was definitely taking the cake.

"That is indeed a problem. It's almost as if you have two different personalities inside of you. Meditation would go a long way towards helping you bridge the gap but only by accepting that part of you can you truly grow. As for changing back? For all intents and purposes you are a real person. You still have some odd mechanical traits like your antennae ears but by and large you are human. This trip is to help you and Akane to grow in the martial arts. If it helps you grow as a person then that's even better." the old crone reclined on her rock. Nuku Nuku was still troubled by what had happened but there was no help for it. She stood up and stretched.

"Nuku Nuku needs to talk to Ranma-san. Thanks grandmother for helping." with that she went to Ranma's tent and walked right in. Cologne counted to three before the cat girl rushed out of the tent with her face bright red. She listened for a few moments before going back in sheepishly. The crone laughed.

-Ranma's Tent-

The pigtailed boy sat across from Nuku Nuku. She had managed to walk in at the wrong moment as he was putting on a different pair of shorts to sleep in. All the girls had seen him naked at least once already so he should have expected that. His friend was far from cheerful right now and he knew why. The Neko-ken. His Pops had managed to screw up so many lives. At least Nuku Nuku didn't have the full horror of what he went through but what she had was damaging enough. To have to watch all those cats get killed and then fear for your own life. He shuddered softly at the thoughts the Pit conjured up.

"Ranma-san..." she reached out to him but stopped herself. Her hands were folded in her lap. It was clear several emotions were warring in her mind. First being changed and now her unusual mental state were falling on her all at once. He got himself together as best as he could.

"Nuku Nuku-chan...I'm sorry ya went through that. Feh, why is it that everyone I meet is under unpleasant circumstances? Can't I just make a friend without shit happenin'? I'm really sorry..." he shook his head as the bad memories flowed into his brain. The boy was so sick and tired of the shit hole his life was but there was no way out. He had to see it through to the end. A gentle hand rested on his folded hands. He looked up, startled. Atsuko was only an inch away from him, her green eyes staring straight into his.

"Nuku Nuku doesn't blame Ranma-san. Blames smelly man for doing it. It's not Ranma-san's fault." she was obviously fighting a battle with herself. A battle that he wasn't sure if she was winning or not. She looked so small and alone that his mind flashed back to the kitten in the Pit. Nuku Nuku had been that kitten. It was why he wasn't afraid of her. He remembered her fear was as great as his own. She didn't try to hurt him.

The cat girl was startled when Ranma pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. Her arms were nerveless at her sides as she tried to figure out what prompted this. She knew he was her Alpha but this was just too much to take in. Nuku Nuku buried her face in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him softly. It wasn't the embrace of lovers but of two very wounded people. It was unclear at what point they had fallen on his sleeping bag but neither would realize it until morning. The heady combination of fear, relief, and acceptance had completely sapped their strength leading to blissfull sleep.

-Next Morning-

Akane and Nuku Nuku were standing before Ranma. The sun wasn't even up yet. The Tendo girl had gone to wake her former fiancee and had found her friends sleeping together. It was kind of cute but it still pissed her off a little. She splashed the cold water on them and was a little startled when her purple haired friend yowled at her. It gave her flashbacks to all the times Ranma was in the Neko-ken. Not a pleasant thought. Still, Ranma had thanked her for being the one to find them first. If anyone else had it might have started a war.

Weights and other odd things were strewn about in front of them. Also a set of training clothes done up like the Dragon Ball Z style gi. They were incredibly heavy as Cologne herself had infused them with a lot of ki. The girls were currently wearing the training gi with discomfort. Akane and Nuku Nuku were both incredibly strong but this was a bit prohibitive to their movements. He surveyed them with a critical eye before having Akane go through a few warm up katas while he taught Nuku Nuku some beginner katas. He had informed them both that a week would pass quickly and that they would either get used to the training schedule or break.

They were a little scared that he was serious.

He broken them down and built them back up laborously all morning. The first they did was katas for a straight two hours. The weighted clothing turned the simple task, to Akane at least, into a nightmare of endurance. Next came swimming. Well, wading in the shallow end for Akane, but for Nuku Nuku she had to cross the river. The cat girl was too exhilirated to be able to swim to notice how badly her body was getting tired. Following that they had a fifteen minute water break. During that break the two girls complained incessantly. Ranma had to grit his teeth and push his feelings away to push them harder.

The next set was running along tree limbs to improve balance. Since they were just starting he had them on lower branches. Nuku Nuku's natural agility came into play and she was breezing through faster than Akane. The display didn't get her any extra praise but it did get her using the higher branches quicker. Akane was doing well much to her teacher's pleasure. It was a good thing she was on the lower limbs however since she tended to fall. A lot. Then again it did help with learning the Saotome school to fall properly from high places.

He was a bit surprised, and pleased, to discover how well the two could adapt. By the end of the morning they were exhausted but they were already recovering. If they kept up this pace he gauged that in a couple days they would be ready for what he had to teach. He had asked his old man for permission to teach the techniques. When his old man went to object his mother had actually ran right over him and proclaimed it manly that he was going into the mountains with two girls. Then she asked Genma if he wanted their son to be manly and the frightened patriarch had no choice but to give him permission. Even though he was still ticked at his mom, he sent her a silent thank you.

There was one stipulation. No one aside from a Saotome should be entrusted with both schools. He wanted to object but it was more out of principle. The old man had a point. He would begin conditioning the two of them for what they would be learning. Akane would be getting the Yama-sen-ken while Nuku Nuku would get the Umi-sen-ken. Between the two of them they should be more than capable of learning them both. With how well they seemed to be getting along they would make a good team. He stopped to ponder something. How was Cologne getting on with her misfits?

-Cologne-

Getting them all awake and rounded up was the hardest task she ever had to accomplish. Somehow she just knew it would only get harder from here. The teens were arrayed in front of her in varying states of wakefullness. Ryoga was facing the wrong direction, trying to find her. Ukyou was flipping invisible okonomiyaki with her eyes closed. Shampoo was glomped on to Mousse thinking he was Ranma. Mousse was trying to get away because he thought Ranma was glomping him. The old woman just stared in blank amazement as Konatsu suddenly put a mug of coffee in her hand as well as everyone else's. It wasn't the good coffee that had taken her by surprise but the fact that his ninja outfit had been lacy, feminine, and looked damn good on him.

Yes, this was going to be a long morning.

After the mass wakeup, she had to sort them out again. Shampoo believed that Mousse was responsible for her groping him. Mousse was blaming Ryoga. The Lost Boy was still trying to find Cologne and Ukyou was doing her best to smash everyone flat for taking her grill away. Konatsu reappeared with sedatives. Thank the Kami for that transexual kunoichi. If not for him then she would have been at it longer. She really was too old to be dealing with this kind of crap anymore. The four teens were a bit disgruntled but they were lined up neatly. Konatsu had vanished once again without a trace much to the elder's shock. The boy was incredible.

She had them run through the basic katas of their individual schools. When they complained she explained patiently as you would to a child or a simpleton that she needed to see their skill level. When they complained that she knew their skill level she explained that it had been some time since they had trained properly. They tried to complain again only to get a fair rendition of the Demon Head and were ordered to shut up and get to work. It was training, but it was also to make them so tired they wouldn't think of screwing up Akane and Nuku Nuku's training.

It was sheer brilliance. So why did she have to work with the dim bulbs?

Ryoga was given the most strenuous exercises she could devise. He was to mimic Akane but instead of cinderblocks, he was to smash boulders. Boulders that were also rolling downhill. He wasn't allowed to let a single one get by him. The one shoving the boulders down at him was Ukyou. She had no real upper body strength even if she could swing that spatual around. Both of them were getting worn down pretty quick. The okonomiyaki chef was trying to impress Ranma with her speed and strength while Ryoga was trying to impress with those same things. Blockheads couldn't do anything for themselves.

Shampoo and Mousse were sparring intensely. Normally the blind boy would be holding back but she struck a pressure point that made him fight his hardest. The duck would be mad at her but too bad. It was a rather interesting situation. Apparently her great granddaughter's skill had stagnated while Mousse's skill had flourished. It was a close match since now the girl was digging deep into her formidable bag of tricks to avoid a loss. Cologne wasn't really teaching them anything. She just needed them tired and her plan was working immensely. They would be tired and then Ranma would get them riled up again. Even better because them he could get a good workout and the girls could benefit from her experience.

-Afternoon-

Ranma almost ran for the hills. The four people he was expected to work with now all looked as if they were about to kill him at a moment's notice. Not much of a change really but this was the first time he had ever gone out of his way to poke this sleeping lion. They were all bitching and whining about how Cologne had treated them and that it was his fault. If he wanted a good match then they would have to be at their best. There was a way he could get them all back to full energy and he used it shamelessly.

He told them that they were right. They were right that it was his fault they had to train so hard. He had just set the Doomsday Device and was waiting for the explosion. The pigtailed boy wasn't disappointed. The attack came from all sides. Bandanna shuriken, spat shuriken, weighted chains, and a thrown bonborri were all dodged at the last second. He was relishing the fact that they didn't get him when a fast moving shape blindsided him and drove him to the ground. Ranma leaped back to his feet, narrowly avoiding the heel stomp leveled at his head from Ryoga. His path took him into Shampoo's broadsword swing which tore his shirt only to get pounded down by Mousse chucking a wrecking ball at him. Complete with the crane attached. That would have to be figured out later as he wove away from Ukyou only to get plowed into the ground again by that same fast moving shape.

"What the hell is going on?" he thought frantically. Everytime he dodged successfully, something would come out and knock him down. He tried Moko Takabisha but that was interrupted brutally by Ryoga smashing his fist into his gut. Ranma corrected the angle of his flight just in time to avoid the spatual downswing but not the Fist of the White Swan. Apparently the potty was now lead weighted and rang his chimes nicely. The bonborri swing sent him flying horizontally in the opposite direction but once again a fast moving shape slammed him into the ground. This was getting ridiculous! Who was DOING that?

"AHHHHH! Who the hell keeps hittin' me?" he shouted out in vexation only to be plowed under by four violent individuals. The battle was not going the way he expected it would. You would think that after defeating Saffron he could could handle this. Well, he could handle it, but someone kept slamming him around. That was definitely not cool. With a thunderour roar he threw off his attackers by releasing a wave of intense ki from his body. The four flew like rockets in different directions. He stood there panting heavily only to have his face buried in the dirt again and a form sitting on his back!

"I'm the one who keeps hitting you Ranma." Konatsu's voice came out smugly. The other members of the NWC stared in stupified amazement. The kunoichi was smiling brightly. He was so kawaii that for a second Mousse and Ryoga thought it was a guy and started drooling. Two blunt force impacts later they were face down on the ground. The remaining members of the Fiancee Brigade snarled.

"That was dirty Konatsu! You should have left this to us!" Ukyou exclaimed hotly.

"Hmph! Girl-boy should not be obstacle." Shampoo exclaimed with just as much heat.

"Wai...but I wanted to play too! I'm not through playing yet! You guys have all the fun!" Konatsu whined like a kid as he leaped back to his feet. The pigtailed boy sweatdropped as the two girls double teamed Konatsu. He would have continued to watch except two hands were resting on his shoulders.

"Saotome...for Shampoo I will kill you..." Mousse grated out as a cutlass materialized in his hand.

"Because of you...I've seen Hell...prepare to die!" Ryoga bellowed as he whipped out his umbrella. Ranma had only one thought for this situation. Run. Run like hell is after him and never stop. He always acted on his instincts. With that, the chase was on!

-Cologne-

After her dismal morning she was looking forward to students who actually wanted to learn. The two girls were so full of energy, even after their rigorous morning workout, that it was inspiring. Apparently all Akane really needed was someone to take her training seriously. Nuku Nuku looked upon it as a great game that should be enjoyed by all. Cologne loved their attitudes. To start their training she set them on an hour long meditation practice. Both girls had enormous enthusiasm but their focus was suffering. Meditation is a good basis for everything.

Their meditation was different than normal people's meditation. Akane was to focus on the earth. The strength of the planet and of the life that lived there. The life of the planet. She was to look deep within the earth for the answers she sought. Answers to the power she was looking for. It was one of Cologne's more brilliant ideas since the Earth is the basis for the Tendo style. The Earth could nurture one minute and destroy the next. She should get in tune with one of the most elemental of forces.

As for Nuku Nuku. Her duty was to focus on water. It had produced an incredible change within her which is one of the things that water is known for. Change. The smooth flow of water, full of mysteries, and always flowing. Water coalescing from streams, to rivers, to oceans. One moment peaceful and gentle while in the next becoming a terrible wave that threatens all. Nuku Nuku was the most influenced by the aspect of change but she should know the other aspects of this primal force as well.

After that the two of them were encouraged to spar. They had already done so the previous day from what Ranma said but she needed to see it herself for a proper evaluation. Akane was her usual straightforward self while Nuku Nuku was fading away from the attacks. When the Tendo girl tried to predict where she would go and trip her she found herself dodging a kick to the forehead that missed by millimeters. However, as her nimble opponent went to skip out of range, the violent girl snagged her leg and gave it a sharp twist. Not to break her leg of course but it did send her spiraling through the air for a second before hitting the ground with not even a bump as her feet suddenly seemed to be under her.

Cologne raised an eyebrow at the highly cat-like maneuver. The battle had increased in speed and intensity much to the elder's delight. If they were making such progress already than perhaps more could be done in this short time. Akane fired off a punch at speeds that would have rivaled Ranma's when she had first met the boy. Nuku Nuku however was closer to the speed that Ranma was at now and blocked. The truly telling part was the disparity amongst their technique. Nuku Nuku seemed to have a bit of cat fu within her but she was obviously untrained. Her android body hadn't really been for combat so no advanced battle techniques had been put into it. Which was good because they would have played havoc with muscle memory.

The elder called a halt after it took longer than twenty seconds for Akane to climb out of the tree that Nuku Nuku's last kick punted her into. Not up into the branches but into the tree bark. The two girls staggered over to one another, using each other as a prop. Cologne looked them over carefully. Aside from exhaustion they hadn't really harmed each other. There cuts and scrapes all over them but that was minor. The Matriarch called them both over and used a little of her ki to accelerate their healing. Akane's ki was high enough that once it got the boost it went to work immediately. Nuku Nuku's ki was like a weed, shooting up fast, but it wasn't as high as her training partner's yet. They needed to work on their meditation more and their sparring. That's all she really had to do was watch them do those things until she believed they were ready for other things.

-Tent-

Akane and Atsuko were staring at one another. They had removed their clothes to get a measure of how bad they mangled one another and saw the bruises. All shapes and colors of bruises. The girls almost had heart failure of the extent of the damage. However the Tendo daughter suspected that the bruises would be gone by morning for her but for Nuku Nuku? It wasn't such a sure bet.

"MeOW that smarts..." the cat girl rubbed at her stomach where a blow had gotten through. She had less marks then her friend but the ones she had were delivered with Akane flair. Meaning that they had a lot of power. Her body was still partly machine, luckily, so the damage wasn't as extensive. Then again, she had made sure that the girl had felt the force of her legs. The legs that could propel her to a Mishima helicopter were nothing to trifle with.

"You're telling me. Who would have guessed that he would start us out on day one that rough?" Akane moaned as she sat back. Cologne had rubbed the kinks out of them earlier and for that she was grateful. When she had seen Ranma at dinner it looked as if he had come out second best in Beirut. The Fiancee Brigade sniped at her again only for both girls to get whacked by the Amazon Matriarch. No one would explain what happened to Ranma or how they had got ahold of Konatsu. He was sporting two black eyes and walked with a funny limp. She could only surmise at where he had been hit.

"Ranma-san was serious about us needing to get better. Nuku Nuku thinks it will only get worse." the former catdroid warned her new friend. She was certain it would get worse. Several times during the day practice had to be called to give Akane time to calm down. The girl had the worst aggression she had ever seen aside from that Ryoga guy. It was clear that being that angry hurt Akane. She didn't seem to be the kind of person who liked being angry and hurting people. That was why she tried to stay so upbeat. Ranma was doing his best by not instigating her. His words were not full of harsh criticisms but he also didn't lavish them with praise. It was obvious to her that he was a good teacher. If he was a good teacher though, Cologne was an artist.

Akane was a bit startled when Nuku Nuku hugged her but quickly returned the hug. The two of them were in this together. Graduation day from this little training camp would hopefully give them a chance for a demonstration of what they learned. To the short-haired girl, any price was worth paying to remove the looks of scorn and derision from the faces of her rivals. Even Ryoga was starting to look bad for his unreasoning hatred of her new friend. At breakfast she would find out why he didn't like her. If his answer wasn't satisfactory then he might as well find a new friend after this was over. She hated doing it but he couldn't be allowed to get angry at such a sweet person.

Tomorrow was a day that would be filled with new challenges and changes. The two girls went to bed to ready themselves for the coming storm.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: I wanted to get through the group arriving and day one of training. Day two will be more detailed. This chapter was used to signify how much everyone was going to be lumped together but the next will start showing how their training is going to differ. If you think the NWC is going to benefit as greatly, they're not. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter! Ja ne!


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or Nuku Nuku.

Author's Notes: Here I am once again. Does that excite you? Probably not. You just care about the story which is just fine with me. This is going to be an interesting time for me. My roommate has gone away for a little vacation and I have the house to myself. So I can pretty much do what I want without being told not to. Oh happy day! Enough about that since it has no bearing on the story. There will be multiple perspectives in this chapter as I detail the training more fully. Enough of my rambling. Let's get on with the show!

Random Destiny

Chapter 6

Welcome to the House of Pain

The morning was a little crisp but it felt good nonetheless. Akane was seated beside Nuku Nuku at the fire as the two waited for breakfast to cook. Ranma and Cologne were trying to keep the two of them seperated from the NWC as much as possible except for at meal times. She was pretty sure it was more to keep the tension down and their own frustration down then for any real reason. Her former fiance was easily angered by the people he once considered friends. Aside from Konatsu, the entire NWC had at one point or another screwed him over. That wasn't what she was truly concerned about though. The day's training was supposed to be more rigorous. What that meant was that Ranma was going to have them train at somewhere below his level. His level was ridiculously high so it was a little scary to contemplate. Now to talk to Ryoga when he came out.

Atsuko "Nuku Nuku" Natsume was having a bad morning so far. Her bruises hadn't vanished like Akane's had and the aches got to her every time she moved. She wasn't going to complain unless it seriously affected her training and it wasn't like she wasn't used to fighting injured. Her simulated nerves had made it difficult to fight when she was android. There were times she couldn't even tell the difference from her artificial pain receptors and the nerves she remembered having. Her friend sat beside her just as eagerly awaiting breakfast. At dinner she had surprised everyone except for Ranma and Cologne when she had eaten almost as much as him! Food just tasted so good and it nourished her body instead of just being window dressing for her human appearance. The Baka Brigade, as her Alpha called them, began to gather. This would be an interesting start to the day.

"G-good morning Akane..." Ryoga said to the short-haired girl with a stammer. She had thought that it was cute but the stupid grin somehow brought to mind Kuno. That was an unpleasant picture and helped her maintain her focus. He tried to sit between her and Nuku Nuku but she moved closer to her friend. He looked briefly angry but sat down beside her. The cat girl was already fielding sniping remarks from Shampoo so she didn't need to worry about the girl hearing her.

"Good morning Ryoga. I couldn't help but notice that you don't like Nuku Nuku-chan. What's wrong?" she asked her friend. The fanged boy looked miffed when she used the "chan" but held his piece. The boy could be taught.

"She interfered in a man-to-man fight between me and Ranma the other day." he said as if that explained everything. It did actually but it was a stupid reason to dislike someone. Akane shook her head. This was not what she was looking for.

"So she stopped one of your fights with Ranma and now you don't like her?" the youngest Tendo had to clarify.

"It's clear she's another one of Ranma's bimbos and once again the womanizer is just stringing her along. I think she should just get dumped back wherever she came from." he said with haughty sniff. Akane was doing a good impression of a volcano but kept her head about her. There was a better way to deal with this.

"She lives with us along with her father and little brother. Kasumi had asked me to tell you that you can't play at our house anymore with Ryuunosuke there." Akane told him sweetly. Let him squirm out of this one. His face was a mask of concentration. Somehow she knew he had just taken the facts and skewed them to fit his needs much like she used to do.

"That stupid girl...she should just take her family and leave. If Ranma won't fight me like a man then I don't see why he should get any peace!" he exclaimed hotly. He had drawn the attention of everyone around the campfire by this point. The Lost Boy was furious and it looked as if Akane had just lost it.

"Don't you dare talk about my friend that way you jerk! You're not perfect so don't cast judgement on others! I may not have always seen things in the proper light but I'm learning you ignorant child! Ooooh...RYOGA NO BAKA!" she cried out and tagged him with a full force punch to the jaw using the new focus she had gained yesterday. A red glow had sheathed her hand at the moment of impact and sent him spiralling into Ranma who was bringing up a pot of water from the river. The Lost Boy became the Lost Piglet and squealed in outrage.

"P-chan?"

Before all this happened, the former catdroid was waiting for breakfast. Unfortunately the Baka Brigade showed up. Too bad they couldn't have just left during the night but that would be too easy. She was glad that Akane was sitting so close to her. Nuku Nuku needed the support that her casual brushes and light contact was giving her. It felt good to know that she had people who would back her up besides her family. Shampoo and Ukyou sat at points to the side of her where they could both talk to her easily. Hopefully they would leave her alone or at least be civil. What was the expression? Oh yeah. Not bloody likely.

"Oooh...Tinkertoy Girl got girlfriend? Always knew Akane was Pervert Girl." Shampoo winked suggestively before laughing softly. It was a musical sound but one that she wished she could shut off with her fist.

"Awww...I think it's sweet. Are ya goin' to tell us when you set the date for the wedding? Akane would good in the man's kimono I think." Ukyou got in on the act with her own attempt at wit. Half wit apparently still counts nowadays the cat girl reflected sourly. The "Other" that was lurking in her subconscious was coming to the surface. Perhaps now was the time to embrace it like Grandmother suggested? Her older persona seemed rather happy with that suggestion. She closed her eyes and straightened her shoulders. The change in demeanor had not gone unnoticed by the united rivals. The two girls looked a bit uncomfortable especially when she opened her eyes. A smirk found it's way on to her face.

"Perhaps you're just jealous of what I have. With how well coordinated you two are I had assumed that you were lovers. Was I somehow mistaken? Then again I doubt you would admit to it. Sneaking around is more your style. How long have you been together? Perhaps you have some advice for a starting couple? You appear to be awfully quiet all of a sudden. Is this conversation not going where you wished? I have an idea. You two leave me alone and I will leave you alone. Does that sound good?" she asked sweetly. Her head was tilted to the side but her smile was anything but sweet. It was a wicked smile that somehow left her verbal opponents broken and bleeding. They knew they lost.

"Hmph...Stupid Tinkertoy Girl." Shampoo tried to reclaim her dignity but failed miserably. The chef decided not to open her mouth. It is better to be thought a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Nuku Nuku relaxed as the older persona went back down again but left some of herself behind. The cat girl knew that she had to make peace with it eventually. Still, a gradual change was better than an immediate one. She looked over as she heard Akane lose her temper with Ryoga. It was actually something she expected. The splash drew her attention to Ranma, currently in girl form, with P-chan sitting on her chest.

"P-chan?"

Ryoga was seated between Ranma and Cologne, slumped in unconsciousness. The two in charge of this little training expedition were both cursing themselves mentally. It might be impossible to get anything done now. Akane wanted to kill the pig as soon as she found out who he really was. The only thing that kept her from doing that was Nuku Nuku hugging her tight and not letting go. Ranma looked to Ryoga with something very close to hatred only to get bopped by his sensei. The elder could not afford to have too many people angry out here. If anyone needed a hospital they were screwed.

"As soon as Ryoga wakes up he will be sent away. None of you are rational enough to deal with him as it stands so..." Colonge began only to be stopped. The pigtailed boy had placed a hand on her shoulder. He was angry but more with himself.

"No. The problem won't just go away. This is a matter of honor that I should have settled long ago. Akane, do you want revenge on Ryoga?" he asked her quietly. The girl looked to her former fiance and friend with burning eyes from the circle of Nuku Nuku's arms. She nodded once in sharp agreement. He sat back and nodded as well. He had suspected something like this.

"Pig Boy hurt Akane-chan. Nuku Nuku want to crush him like helicopter." she growled out cutely. Her short-haired friend roused herself from her anger to calm the vengeful cat girl. Shampoo was about to make a snide comment when a chestnut struck her in the head. She glared angrily in the direction of the one who threw it only to see Konatsu calmly flipping another one in his palm. The wrathful Amazon subsided. It was suicide to fight him. He was undoubtably still mad at her for kicking him in the family jewels the day before.

"Fine then Akane. If you wish to get revenge then train hard. Train harder than you have ever trained before because the best way to get revenge for such a thing is to beat him." the elder told her. The violent girl looked unsettled. Her? Beat Ryoga? The only one who could do that with any frequency was Ranma. How could she hope to beat him? Before her depression got any worse, encouragement came from an unlikely source.

"You can beat him sugar. He's good but you could be better. The worst that could happen is you'll lose and so what? You win as long as you try your hardest." Ukyou said to her. At the surprised looks she huffed.

"I didn't know the little pervert was P-chan! That's an offense to women everywhere! I bet that the Amazons knew too! What's your excuse?" the chef fired off venomously.

"I have no excuse. It was a violation of a young woman's honor and I should have done something. I hope that the training will make up for it." Cologne said seriously. Mousse looked decidedly uncomfortable while Shampoo looked troubled.

"Amazon womens smarter than outsider womens. Shampoo knew all about it but Violent Girl didn't know, really?" The answer would decide how she felt. If Akane really knew then she could continue to be superior, but it was starting to look like she really didn't know. The Amazon Champion may not like the girl all that much but something should be done. She had a lot of bad karma to make up for so hopefully she could make a start with Akane.

"Of course I didn't know! Do you think I would LET him sleep in my bed?" the girl's outraged shout woke the Lost Boy from his slumped stupor. He tried to stand only to find that his legs were paralyzed. His arms refused to cooperate as well. He was actually tied to a stump to keep him in a sitting postion. Ryoga took in the scene. There were various angry and hostile looks being sent his way.

"This is all your fault Ranma!" he tried to cry only to have an apple chucked into his mouth. His angry glare turned on Konatsu who actually seemed to be pissed off at him as well. The kunoichi pulled out his ninjato and began sharpening it while surreptitiously looking in his direction. The Lost Boy shut up very quickly at that.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Pig Boy. Here's what this little trial decided: At the end of the week you will fight Akane. Think of it as your penance for violating her honor. You will untied and allowed to walk around just so you're not rusty when the fight rolls around. Don't try to leave either. Konatsu has kindly asked that he be allowed to keep an eye on you." Ranma's smile never reached his eyes. His eternal rival realized that something big had just happened. When Cologne allowed him to finally move again he chanced a look at Akane. All he saw in her eyes was a burning hatred and disgust for him. However there was a measure of hurt there that was shrinking rapidly.

"You were lonely, right? Well after my mom died and my family started their own paths I was lonely too. You have both parents even if they don't always see you. How dare you play on my kindness? Just wait. I will a worse enemy than you ever were to Ranma. Count on it." Akane said before storming off. Nuku Nuku gave him a look that could turn steel into scrap before hurrying after her. Ranma also went off with them. Unlike the day before though, everyone went in the same direction.

"What's...going on?" he asked the genius shinobi. Konatsu sauntered out wearing a white ninja robe. He was dressed as a boy for once but that wasn't the most unnerving thing. His eyes were burning with a fury the Lost Boy had never seen in the normally docile ninja.

"It's called training Ryoga. They're all going to help Akane get better. We all want to see her kick your butt from here back to Nerima. You did a terrible thing when you abused Akane-san's trust in you. How would you feel if a good friend betrayed you? It wouldn't make you happy I'm sure." Konatsu had stepped fully into the clearing. His long hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. He drew up the black scarf that was around his neck and settled the piece of cloth firmly in place. His stance was loose but ready.

"Why does everyone got to give me shit? Alright, I know what I did was wrong but I was alone for so long that I would do anything to get back the feeling of belonging. How can you possibly understand that you fuckin' crossdresser?" he roared back, deliberately trying to hurt the shinobi as much as he was hurting only to see the ninja tense. His eyes had turned from burning anger to icy hatred. He closed down his emotions so completely that Ryoga couldn't even feel his ki stirring.

"Is that how it is? You think I don't understand loneliness? Well, it looks like you need an early education on how to treat others. Sadly, for you, your instructor will be me." Konatsu was using the Art of No Mind to calm his growing torrent of emotions. The genius shinobi seemed to vanish as he kicked his speed into overdrive. Ryoga barely felt the first probing shots due to the Bakusai Tenketsu training. He was about to laugh when a hard kick smashed across his face, throwing him to the ground.

"Shit!" he thought frantically. Ranma was good and Konatsu was somewhere near his level but not quite there. He always thought that he and Ranma were fairly close, even with Saffron, but if the male kunoichi was close to his hated rival then that meant he pulled his punches. It would have made him mad but he needed a clear head to keep sight of his opponent. The next blow was blocked but the counter punch was eluded. Several blows were traded at speeds faster than the untrained eye could follow.

"This is not what I was expecting from you Ryoga. I thought you were better than this." Konatsu whispered in his ear. He unleashed a powerful backfist only to strike air. The shinobi was rotating around him clockwise as far as he could tell. Ryoga used the Breaking Point to give him some room to work only to get peppered by the sharp stones he had just unleashed. The shrapnel was thrown with enough force that his skin was actually crusted with the broken stones. He unleashed a ki wave similar to what Ranma did the day before, blowing the projectiles outward form his body. The sound of a body hitting wood brought his attention sharply around. He saw Konatsu half through a tree.

"I am better...better than you...and better than Ranma...if you would only acknowledge that without using tricks to win! You honorless cowards! Shi Shi Hokodan!" he unleashed his trademark ki attack at his infuriating target. The shinobi watched the ball of depression ki reach him with dread in his eyes. Ryoga savored it as he disappeared in a flash of light. When the smoke cleared he saw only his opponent's clothes. He felt a sharp pain at the base of his neck and collapsed in a boneless heap.

Konatsu gazed dispassionately at the fallen Lost Boy. The white ninja clothes had been replaced with clothing of deepest black. He gave his opponent a light kick before pulling an apple out of seemingly thin air and taking a satisfied bite. Ranma and Ryoga in two days. Well, he had help with Ranma yesterday, but it could still be counted. Hubris is truly your greatest enemy. With that he sat down beside the unconscious boy. An acupuncture needle was sticking out of his neck in a sleep point. At least he would wake up relaxed. His laughter did not stop for almost an hour afterwards.

-Training-

Akane was trying frantically to keep her footing on the slippery rope that her and Nuku Nuku were sparring on. It was supposed to help with balance but all she could think was that it was some cruel trick being played on her. The cat girl seemed to have no problem whatsoever with staying on the rope but it was clear that she was to a martial artist of Akane's caliber. She wasn't evading as well or striking as fast since a lot of her attention was on balancing. The rope had been covered with axle grease and was truly a treacherous path.

"You can give up. I won't think less of you!" Akane called out with false cheer as a kick just barely blew her hair around from the force. She was doing a fair job at blocking as was her friend. Nuku Nuku shifted her head to the side to avoid the straight punch that was aimed to take her head off. Her smile was just as bright as Akane's but she was a bit more worried.

"Nuku Nuku is having fun with Akane-chan! Why would I want to stop?" she asked in retort as she got a strike through to her friend's midsection only to take a stunning blow to the side of the head. Her balance was worse now that she didn't have the auto compensators that simulated her cat-like reflexes. Oh she still had better balance and mobility than most of the population but not in the super human range anymore. The short-haired girl tried for a lunge only to be foiled by Nuku Nuku dropping down, catching the rope between her legs and hands, and swinging out of the way.

"Ohhhhhh!" Akane cried out in shock only to land on the ground, five feet below the rope. She sat up rubbing her head. The girl was about to compliment her friend when suddenly she had a mass of girl land on her back driving her to the ground again. She rolled over, dislodging Nuku Nuku, and managed to stand up. When she tried to help her pal up the axle grease caused her to slip loose and fall on her butt.

"Owie..." Nuku Nuku complained as she stood up, rubbing her sore posterior. When she pulled her hand away, Akane started giggling. She blinked at her friend and looked at where she was pointing at. Her face turned bright red as she saw the hand print on her derriere. The sound of clapping drew them back to the present. Ranma stepped out into the clearing with a grin.

"Very good you two. It took me awhile before I could fight effectively on that. Be glad it was me and not Pops training you though. He had me over a Burmese tiger pit. That's not fun. Okay, I guess we should move on to the next step." he told them. As he was walking away, his cat girl friend hestitantly cleared her throat.

"Ah...what is the next step?" she asked timidly. If things were going to get worse than she wanted to know and fast. Not that she was leaving or anything, but it would be nice to be prepared.

"You're being divided up. I'm working with you while Cologne will be working with Akane." he said which instantly raised an objection from Akane.

"B-but what are you teaching her that you can't teach me?" she tried not to sound weak but it was sounding an awful lot like her friends were leaving her behind. Ranma placed his hands on her shoulders gently. He gave her a smile.

"I'm going to be working on the Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken with her while you work on the Bakusai Tenketsu. After you've learned that, if we have time, we'll trade off. I'm not forgettin' about ya but there's things she can teach that I can't. K?" his smile took a lot of the sting out of the supposed "rejection". She nodded even if she was unhappy. Nuku Nuku bounced over and gave her a hug.

"It's okay Akane-chan. We can still play together, right?" she asked cheerfully. Akane hugged her back, clearly relieved that both of them seemed to know what she was feeling. They all knew what the other was feeling. Parting from friends and rejection are not fun emotions. Lately that's all it's seemed like to them. With that they went their separate ways. Cologne came and lead Akane off in one direction while Ranma led Nuku Nuku to the river.

-Cologne and Akane-

The elder was doing her best to ignore the painful noises that always accompanied the Bakusai Tenketsu training. Akane was doing much better than Ryoga actually. She hadn't really complained once and seemed to be going at it with frightening single-minded determination. Shampoo was helping her throw the boulders. Her great granddaughter had become almost possessed with the desire to make the girl stronger. It was humorous since she knew it wouldn't last past this trip. The Tendo girl was stoic in the face of bone crushing pain which was something to be admired, and if she was honest with herself, feared. She seemed to be ignoring blows that the Lost Boy used to cry out at.

"You must focus! Become the earth and see the breaking point! Focus Akane!" Cologne called out sharply. She doubted the girl would get it today. Actually, she hoped the girl wouldn't get it today since the body toughening was the true benefit of the technique. Akane's focus actually was good and she would be close if the elder didn't keep breaking her concentration, deliberately. Ryoga was all over the place with his feelings and emotions but what he did to her seemed to give her iron focus.

"Stupid Violent Girl can't even break little rocks? What good you do breaking blocks?" Shampoo teased eliciting the first sound she had made all day aside from muffled grunts. A fierce scream of rage as she slashed her bound hand down, missing the boulder with her fist, but slashing it clear in two with her finger! The girl screamed one more time in raw fury before fainting from the strain of whatever ki technique she had just created. Cologne brought the girl down quickly and laid her out on the ground. Shampoo was beside her, her eyes wide.

"Great Grandmother...what she do?" she asked in shock. It had almost escaped her but at the point of impact she thought she saw her finger glow a red color, but of anger ki. She tried to figure out what had happened but it was beyond her to do so. What had created such a move?

"She was angrier and more distraught then she let on. Her focus was so sharp that she was able to push herself to incredible heights of concentration. Apparently she was so angry at her repeated "failures" that she instinctually turned that sharp focus into a weapon. A lethal technique that now must be trained as we finish teaching this to her. It reminded me of the claws of the Neko-ken except that she used fury to fuel it. Fury to give her greater focus." Cologne shook her head in amazment. Did these "weak" outsiders all have this kind of potential? Perhaps not, but it was something to think about.

Shampoo began having serious thoughts about pushing her former rival too far. Her thoughts went back to all the times she teased or taunted her. All the times she could have been nice but decided to be mean. If karma really did do payback then hopefully she was salving some of her bad karma. If not, then she hated to think of what Akane would put her through.

"Ohhh..." the girl on the ground moaned softly as she sat up laborously. Cologne tried to push her back down but she refused to budge. Akane was staring at her wrapped finger with narrowed eyes. She remembered what happened. Shampoo had made another of her snide remarks and there was nothing around to hit aside from the boulder. Her fist was bound up and useless except for her finger. The Bakusai Tenketsu wasn't working either. She slashed her finger down intent on destroying the boulder with anger alone. Once again she slashed her finger down and was pleased when the ground in front of her was cut neatly. It wasn't a big cut but it would get bigger with work.

"My my my...that certainly is something. Until we have a chance to work on it more why don't you not use it in front of people? Let's give Ryoga a nasty surprise shall we?" Cologne cackled in clear amusement. Akane laughed as well but inside she was troubled. The attack could kill as easily as the Kishin Ryu Dan which she was going to be learning. However one attacked with sharp ki while the other attacked with the absence of ki. It was something to think about anyway. The short-haired girl wondered how her friends were doing.

-Ranma and Nuku Nuku-

The cat girl needed to get her speed up for the technique that Ranma wished to teach her. The Katchu Tenchin Amaguriken was capable of increasing the speed of your punches to break the sound barrier. It was a lightning fast flurry of blows that would leave most opponents broken with one use. The way her Alpha had learned it was by trying to snatch chestnuts out of a roaring fire before modifying it into something safer. She was trying to snatch minnows out of the water without getting her hands wet.

"Mrew..." she grumbled as she tried it again. It still wasn't working no matter how hard she tried. Her hands would dip into the water, she'd grab the minnows, and bring out her soaking wet hands. He had made it look easy. The speed he had done it at had not only left his hands dry but no splashes had turned him into a girl. Ranma called her away from the riverbank. She stood before him with her head bowed. The pigtailed boy lifted her face up by the chin.

"Chill out or you'll get wrinkles. I didn't get it on the first try so lighten up. We'll just work on your speed training a little more. Ukyou, Mousse? Come on out." he told his "cute fiancee" and his rival. The two of them had rather unholy smiles on their faces. He had warned her that by speed training he meant dodging or catching weapons. Each throwing weapon was blunted and had red dye to signify a "hit". The object of the exercise was to avoid hits. All red marks counted even the non fatal ones since even a non fatal blow in combat could get you killed.

"Alright sugar...I hope you're ready to mix it up!" Ukyou caroled out cheerfully as she unlimbered her battle spatula. Even their melee weapons were to be used. All she could do was dodge and catch, no fighting back. The blind boy slipped two arm blades from his sleeves that curved back from his wrists.

"A little payback for kicking into that old lady's bathroom." Mousse said with a shudder. The forbidden image permanently engraved in his brain. He had to get some relief even if it was play acting. No sharp weapons but there was no restriction on force just nothing fatal or permanent. That was fine by him but he also had the feeling that if he went too far then Ranma would settle him. Not a pleasant thought when it was he who had defeated Saffron. He was crazy not stupid.

"Stop the talking and begin!" Ranma called out signifying the start of the training session. Ukyou opened up with a volley of spat shuriken at the same time that Mousse unleashed a volley of conventional shuriken. The cat girl leaped back to avoid the first load before skipping to the side to avoid the second only to have to leap high to avoid the spatula swing set to take out her legs. She thought she was safe until twin impacts rained on her back letting her know that Mousse just got her with his blades however she reacted quickly enough that they were shallow and didn't stain heavily. The most that would have been done in that instance was a fleshwound but it galled her nonetheless.

Nuku Nuku found herself growing more hemmed in by her surprisingly coordinated attackers. If she knew that Ranma had taken them aside while she was fishing for minnows and gave them pointers she would have been miffed at him. Mousse was actually quite fast and his chains were nothing to mess with. They had incredible range and speed making them difficult to dodge effectively. Ukyou had her combat spatula which dealt good damage and she was quick with it. By the end of half an hour she had numerous "hits" on her but none had been fatal or close to fatal. It was quite an achievement in Ranma's eyes.

The cat girl was given twenty minutes to cool off and get the dye out. It was a simple water based dye that would come out easily in the stream. She felt the burn from her workout as she sat back in the water. If she had tried this in the old days she might have rusted or fallen under water. Not a pleasant picture. Now she could sit to her chin in water and enjoy the coolness of it. The way it flowed between her toes and the cool feeling right around her...Okay that was enough soaking she decided as the water gave her more stimulation than she needed. She came back to find her trainers getting tips from Ranma. Is that how they coordinated so well? Wait, a plan was forming. The two of them were fairly well coordinated but in the heat of combat they started forgetting their planning.

She had a plan of her own now. When it started up again they were a bit surprised to see her so energetic. It was obvious they expected her movements to be slower but she didn't have to worry about conserving her energy right now. If she burned out then she burned out but they would have something to remember. They tried to catch her in a crossfire of chains and spatula shuriken but she simply cartwheeled out of the way. She kept cartwheeling, driving them insane since they weren't sure if she was playing with them or genuinely trying to dodge.

"I've had it! No more games sugar!" Ukyou called out before firing off a volley of explosive flour bombs. That was not in the script but it didn't matter really since she wasn't the one in danger of being hit by it.

"Hold still dammit!" Mousse exclaimed in anger as he fired off another volley of chains. Hold still? Who was he kidding? Just as she leaped out of range, the chains wound around a startled Ukyou. Mousse had already pulled her to him not realizing until it was too late that it wasn't Nuku Nuku. The flour bombs reached their new target just as the blind boy and the chef ended up bound in the chains. A loud explosion was the only clue to the cat girl that her plan had turned out perfect. She turned to look and stifled a giggle. The two of them were entwined in chains and limbs, both knocked silly by the bombs, and blowing smoke from their mouths.

"That was some quick thinking. Good dodging but that was a much better plan." Ranma complimented her. Her smile was like the sun coming up. The pigtailed boy found it hard to keep a blush from his face in the presence of that smile. He heaved the two blasted individuals over his shoulder and the teacher and student headed back to camp.

-Later-

Dinner had passed without a hitch aside from Ukyou and Mousse proclaimed that they were going to get Nuku Nuku the next day during training. The cat girl simply stuck her tongue out at them and went back to her meal. Akane could barely sit still and was able to barely keep from spilling her secret. Of course she was going to tell her friend Nuku Nuku later just like she knew Cologne was going to tell Ranma. Shampoo was being much friendlier, not quite ready to proclaim friendship, but she was being nicer. Konatsu kept snickering every time someone asked him why Ryoga went to bed early. It was best not to inquire as to that reaction.

Ryoga stirred in his sleep, muttering vile imprications to the tune of "Kenzanen, because of you I've seen Hell!" but no one would understand his sleep talk anyway.

After everyone had gone to bed, Ranma and Cologne commenced with the end of the day ritual of comparing notes. The day had been full of surprises and they couldn't wait to share what they learned. Since Cologne was the eldest Ranma kindly said she could go first but she felt her news was more impressive so she insisted the pigtailed one do it. After haggling back and forth they finally settled it with Rock-Paper-Scissors with Ranma losing. He didn't have the heart to tell her that Bakusai Tenketsu doesn't beat rock in this game.

"Well, it seems that Nuku Nuku is much faster than I gave her credit for. Not only physically but mentally. She managed to dodge Ukyou and Mousse for half an hour before I had to call it off. The red dye was on a good portion of her body but none of the wounds were even remotely fatal. Then after her break she proceeded to lead the two of them into a trap which is why they came back with powder burns. If she keeps this up she'll definitely have the Katchu Tenchin Amaguriken down in a few days tops." he was exceptionally pleased with that bit of information. The elder could understand why he thought that was good. It was a good thing that she was helping not hindering now or she would have never seen such impressive students.

"My news is just as good. Apparently Akane could learn the Bakusai Tenketsu at any time but I need to keep breaking her concentration or she would get nothing out of it. Her toughness has already increased greatly and so has her focus. She also created a new technique, quite by accident, where she cut through the boulder with one finger. It was a clean slice. We'll be working to improve it so that she doesn't accidentally kill someone but I suspect it might only work on ground. More experiments will need to be conducted." she told her protege. The young man looked poleaxed by the news causing her to cackle. This was indeed more fun than being a pest.

"Hopefully tomorrow will yield better results." Ranma said thoughtfully. His sensei nodded in agreement. Who really knew what tomorrow would bring? Of course greater challenges were a must. Akane and Nuku Nuku slept soundly, not knowing that their impressive performance today caused a drastic increase in their training schedule.

End Chapter 6


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or All Purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku Nuku.

Author's Notes: Ouch! I got hit hard with complaints over the fight between Akane and Ryoga. I couldn't even read that fight scene again without wincing. Because of that I am going to do a complete overhaul of the chapter. Not even bothering to try and salvage it. What does this mean for you readers? It means I am going to try and bring my stories back to life and end them properly. With that out of the way let's get on with the show!

Random Destiny

Chapter 7

The Main Event

The training had been punishing and brutal which was to be expected. Akane's match with Ryoga was the talk of the camp. If she lost then he pretty much got away with what he did so she had to make sure he didn't. As good as she had become she still wasn't sure that she could beat the Lost Boy. Then again since battles were mostly psychological she needed to maintain a positive attitude. There just simply wasn't enough time to teach her the whole Yamasenken or to teach Nuku Nuku the whole Umisenken. As Ranma had put it 'You got as much out of this and we could teach ya.'

Time constraints were a bitch.

Akane was going through a simple warm up. Merely doing stretches and bends. Of course you should always train your forms vigorously each morning and night but if you know you're going to be in a fight then it's best to come at it well-rested. Nuku Nuku was standing a short distance away doing the same thing she was. The Tendo daughter had tried to explain to the catgirl that she didn't have to but her friend just said that she wouldn't let Ryoga get away with it.

That was a nice feeling. To know that someone cared enough to be her back up.

She spotted Ryoga a short distance away getting ready for the fight as well. She was a bit flattered that he was treating this with the gravity it deserved but she also wished he hadn't decided to take it quite so seriously. The look of determination on his face almost killed her resolve right there. She slapped her cheeks a few times to psyche herself up. Ranma and Cologne were seated by the fire cooking meals for after the fight. The ones not involved were eating but not much. They didn't know if they would have to jump in and separate anyone.

It was a good thing she wasn't eating or else she might have embarrassed herself.

The reason, as everyone knew, that Ryoga was so pumped up was because Konatsu had basically humiliated him beyond all recognition while "helping" Ryoga keep his skills sharp. Ranma had taken a few turns sparring with the genius gender bender kunoichi and could attest to his skill personally. Nuku Nuku placed her hand on Akane's shoulder to bring her around.

"They're waiting on us." She spoke, not in her usual perky tone, but with quiet seriousness. The Tendo daughter nodded her head to acknowledge what she heard. They headed over to a large clearing where Cologne stood in the center. Shampoo and Ukyou were standing firmly in Akane's corner, rooting for her off to the right. Ranma had found himself a good place sitting in a tree with Konatsu a short distance away. Ryoga had his umbrella stabbed in the ground beside him. Akane knew that there was a buildup to it. Ryoga would start with maddened hand-to-hand fighting while a person wore themselves down trying to break through his guard. When the person tired themselves out then he would come in to finish them off. If they managed to break through his guard then he would start with his bandannas and grab his umbrella. Deal with his umbrella for a time and defeat them with his Shi Shi Hokodan.

Even knowing all this did not mean squat if she couldn't even get past Round One.

Nuku Nuku was in her field of view but a safe distance away. If she fell then she knew Nuku Nuku would finish him off. Her greater speed and strength could win the day if Ryoga fought like he usually did. Then again they had already tussled before so the Lost Boy might get wise to letting her within striking distance.

Contemplating your own defeat does not make a fight easier. It's self defeating and she knew that so she dropped into a loose ready stance as Ryoga stood with his fists up and hunched like a boxer. The Tendo girl knew she wasn't as strong as Ryoga but she was stronger than Ranma. That little bit of trivia did her worlds of good. The Katchuu Tenshin Amaguriken wasn't as fast as Ranma's either but one of those at point blank would take round one easily. Ryoga was staggering his stance as he slowly shifted his weight around to try and line Akane up.

At least it looked like he was taking her seriously. If he hadn't then she might have made the mistake of getting angry at him giving him an easy win. The wide open space favored Akane more than it did Ryoga. It gave her room for acrobatics and leaping attacks but she quickly canceled that idea. If she started jumping he would start throwing bandannas. Not a pleasant thought.

He came in with a mighty straight punch that would have torn her head from between her shoulders if she hadn't shifted left suddenly, forearm swept outward in such a way as to knock his arm off track. She hadn't gone for the straight block since she did need that arm later. It looked like a good block and dodge which she decided to fire a sudden right for his side. He let it strike solidly. There was no give in that armor he called flesh as he smiled that half-crazed smile and gave her another solid swing followed by a kick from the opposite direction.

Caught between the fist and the leg she did the sensible thing. He expected her to go up as his tensed body indicated so she dropped down and rolled forward behind him. She caught herself on her palms and, using her tremendous upper body strength shoved herself hard upward at an angle with her legs coiled. With whip like speed she uncoiled her legs in a burst of motion that aided in the strength behind the shove releasing the kinetic force into the middle of his back.

Ryoga was far too used to fighting Ranma as it turns out since his guard had completely lowered when she executed the simple forward roll. The double kick to the back slammed hard with enough force that it rattled his teeth before throwing him clear off his feet and into the ground face first. An inconveniently placed rock gave him a bloody nose. The Bakusai Tenketsu training only protected a person as long as they concentrated on it. His muscles were thick and dense enough that it acted like natural armor but when surprised he was susceptible to attack.

Akane quickly flipped back to her feet after successful attack to once again face her opponent. The Lost Boy managed to get back to his feet with blood trailing from each nostril and a cut lip. It looked like one of his over sized fangs had gouged him.

"That hurt you know." He growled out as he got into a more menacing stance with his hands spread wide and fingers curled like talons. The Tendo daughter could not believe the lucky shot she got in on him. Sometimes the simplest solutions really were the best.

"Good." She replied as she once more readied herself. The Lost Boy had been knocked clear of his umbrella placing it firmly behind her. A weapon does you no good when it's behind your opponent. Ryoga swaggered up more cautiously this time. Trying to herd her to one side but she refused to move. He let loose a devastating series of bear swipes with his clawed hands. It was a style that worked well for him and made sense because of his physical conditioning. Akane simply ducked and weaved around the swipes as best as she could. It was a small mistake and normally a forgivable one but this was a fight with Ryoga.

As she had weaved to avoid another swipe his knee came up and blasted her in the side, hard, throwing her into his other swipe which caught her across the face and diagonal to the chest. The Tendo girl was thrown heavily to the ground trying to remember which end was up. She managed to get up to one knee and blearily stared at Ryoga who seemed frozen. What caused that? Her swimming gaze noticed that her gi had been torn open revealing the bandages she had used to wrap her chest. One of the wrappings had come undone and revealed not her whole breast but enough to stun the Lost Boy.

Pervert protocols had been reinstated with loss of higher mental function.

Translation: He hit her too hard and she forgot how to fight rationally.

With a scream that turned into a roar of righteous anger she was suddenly back on her feet with her aura turning into a red swirl around her mingling with the blue swirl of her self control. If anyone had even thought "Hiryuu Shoten Ha" she probably would have torn up the landscape for miles. She charged the stunned Lost Boy with all that swirling energy accumulating in her fists. The blue swirl allowed her mind to call upon her techniques.

"Katchuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" She howled as her fists suddenly blurred into lightspeed to unleash devastating and unforgiving punishment on the Lost Pervert. Each blow sent streamers of ki through his body. The claps of thunder from the speed were literally cracking the ground around them. Akane reached back over her shoulder with both hands and a shining light gathered behind her. The air felt saturated by an ionic charge causing everyone's hair to start standing up.

"Wha-?" Was all that Ryoga could say as his body tried to cope with the tremendous amount of punishment he had just taken. His ribs were cracked. His face was bloody. His arms couldn't even raise at this point. She had found the secret to weakening him. Flash some skin. She knew Ranma did it but she would never have thought of it. The Lost Boy noted the tremendous ki build-up behind her only moments before she swung the fiendishly glowing red mallet with blue vapor trail that caught him in the chest and whipped him right to the edge of the clearing. He hit the ground in his own personal crater whereupon his brain rebooted to help him deal with the pain.

The crackling ki protection in Akane's hand gave one last sputter and then died in a swirl of energy motes. The girl was staring in disbelief at the victory. All she remembered was that she was down on the ground and suddenly she was staring at Ryoga's incredibly abused body. The light faded from her eyes as her exhaustion caught up to her. Nuku Nuku caught her before she even hit the ground.

The rest of the day had been spent bandaging up Ryoga and making sure Akane was resting peacefully. Ranma and Cologne had adjourned to the stream to talk about what they had witnessed. It would go down in history as a tremendous upset in the power structure. The pigtailed wonder shook his head to martial his thoughts.

"Wow." Cologne summed up what he was thinking in one word. He smiled wryly at her.

"Not even our best estimates took this into account." Ranma said as he leaned against a tree. The aged Matriarch nodded her head.

"I agree. She held up remarkable well under pressure but you were right. Get her angry and she is a nearly insurmountable foe." The old woman said with a grin.

"She was lucky. Very lucky. Ryoga was taking it easy on her at first. Then again maybe he's fought me too much? He seemed to be holding back his reserves like he was fighting me." The aquatransexual commented.

"Indeed. However he did what we hoped he would do and force her outside her comfort zone. The sooner she understands that SHE can't afford to hold back the better off we'll all be." It was a tragic fact, the Matriarch noticed, that when crunch time came Akane didn't always bring her best.

"Every time that she has had to put up or shut up, and couldn't avoid it, she's proven just how good she really is. Which is a good thing. Maybe now she'll actually stop holding herself back. We can blame me n' Pops for that." He leaned back against the tree.

"We won't need to give Nuku Nuku a challenge like that. She never holds anything back." Cologne chuckled over her thoughts on the catgirl. Ranma smiled a bit fondly.

"Yeah. Coaches say to give one hundred and ten percent but she actually does it. I'm glad Akane got herself a friend like that. Yuka and Sayuri don't understand that part of her so they don't feed it." It wasn't just food that fed a martial artist. It was enthusiasm in what they did. Just like with anything worthwhile doing. If you don't have some excitement for it then it became meaningless.

"True. And it seems my granddaughter and Ukyou are coming around. I think they're finally seeing what I saw. No one is going to win you. Even earning you doesn't work since no one listened to you."

"I just wanted someone who would listen you know? Just someone to hear my side and not jump all over my case. About the only one who ever did that was Kasumi and well...being engaged to her would be too much like kissing my sister." He commented. It was a well worn path that Cologne and Ranma were walking but this time she was actually listening.

"Whaddya say we get me some of those mushrooms and see how things work out?" She commented coquettishly. Ranma rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Then I'd be doomed." The two friends, mentor and student, laughed. It was never certain anymore who was the mentor and who the student anymore.

Nuku Nuku was taking a walk around the battlefield. She hefted the Lost Boy's battle umbrella when she found it. Still there in the center of the field, forgotten, and gave it an experimental swing. It was still the heaviest piece of gear she had ever come across. It wasn't for the umbrella that she was here really. She was lost in thought as she toured the site of her new best friend's battle. What a battle that was. It was nothing like fighting the helicopters or battle suits. Two humans engaged in combat over a simple concept. Morals and decency.

Surprisingly, if she hadn't known about Ryoga's pig form, she would have thought he was actually a moral and decent person. Cat's are good at seeing things like that, but finding out about his pig form changed her mind. The part that made it even more monstrous was that he didn't even seem to think he had done anything wrong and immediately tried blaming Ranma. She growled a little before stabbing the umbrella back into the ground. Let it be a marker and testament to his folly.

"Poor Akane-chan." She thought with a sigh as she continued to walk the field. Why did coming of age things have to be so difficult? If you wanted to look at this as a growing experience then it could be gathered that Akane had finally decided to get out of her childish ways and see the world around her for the first time. For the girl to finally acknowledge who her true friend was from the beginning and that was Ranma.

"Maybe not from the beginning." She amended silently as she giggled about her Alpha's own tales of how things started. It was a great honor when he told her the unvarnished truth about himself. The catgirl had almost punted him herself a few times but kept her temper. Sadly, the old Nuku Nuku would not have gotten mad so easily, or if she did she would have punted him into LEO. She suddenly came to a stop as she saw something in front of her.

The sight of someone out there would not have been so strange if not for how the girl was dressed. Her hair was kind of greenish with her eyes hidden behind a black visor. "Ears" were deployed from the sides of her head and she wore a skin tight bodysuit that left her arms bare. The bodysuit was dominated by red with white sections. The black gloves over her hands and black "boots" completed the look. Probably not someone out to look at the scenery, Nuku Nuku thought with black humor. Considering this person looked just like her except for the hair.

"NK-1124?" The girl in front of her inquired. Nuku Nuku knew her registration number as well as she knew her name. No one ever called her that anymore, even the Mishima people.

"Who wants to know?" She asked back but the girl had gone silent. That was never a good sign. Before she had a chance to ask another question the girl in front of her was in motion, aiming a dragon kick for her skull. In her old form it wouldn't have even left a dent but now...the catgirl slid to the right with the same blazing speed. Her adversary launched at her almost immediately afterward. If her mind was not still at the same hyperspeed as it was before then this fight would have gone a lot differently.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed as she once again had to dodge her doppleganger's near blinding speed. The two of them traded misses instead of blows. The two girls able to read each other almost perfectly. It would have been the very definition of a stalemate except for one thing.

Nuku Nuku was going to slow down. It would not be deliberate or anything like that. She was operating with an organic body and that was going to cost her. Not a single blow was getting through on either of them but it was clear that the catgirl was not going to outlast the catdroid. The Katchuu Tenshin Amaguriken however gave her an enormous speed boost for her punches which the catdroid couldn't entirely block. One of those shots rocketed into her skull causing her to lose her visor. The catdroid's golden eyes lock back onto her for a split second before she returns fire.

This should have been the time for Nuku Nuku to dodge but she had used up too much ki and too fast. It was still too soon to use a ki technique and expect to continue immediately. Ki drain made it easy for her to take a blow to the left shoulder and throw her back. Through frantic wheeling she was able to remain on her feet. The only reason the blow got her shoulder and nowhere fatal was because she was still faster than the average human. Meaning that what she was fighting was a more advanced version of herself but how was that possible?

"NK-1124. Cease immediately." The catdroid said in that emotionless tone that cliche robot terminators use. Nuku Nuku flailed her right arm to regain her balance and slapped the handle of the umbrella.

"You're CPU is a Dorito." Nuku Nuku said while giving her a red eye. The machine may not have been affected by the taunt but she recognized the denial. The dynamite girl rushed forward fully intent on finishing this when suddenly Nuku Nuku seized the umbrella, brought it up, grasped in both hands, and brought it down on her counterpart's skull.

The catdroid had not assessed the danger of the umbrella. She did not know that it was the heaviest piece of equipment she could ever see wielded by a human. All she knew was that she rushed forward and almost had her computer brains blasted out of her skull by a titanium reinforced, ki charged, umbrella. Nuku Nuku was actually surprised that she had survived the blow but due to the large amount of damage inflicted she had gone into Sleep Mode.

"Mrow?" Nuku Nuku jumped a bit when she heard that. Was there cat nearby? Did Shampoo get caught in a sudden rain shower? It sure as hell wasn't her! That was when she realized that the sound had come from by her feet and she looked down. Gold eyes met her green and she had a moment of terror as she thought 'They reboot fast' but that changed to confusion as the eyes shut again. Was she deactivated permanently this time? Then her double did something unthinkable. She brushed her head against Nuku Nuku's leg.

"Wh-wh-what?" She stammered in shock as the catdroid at her feet suddenly got onto her knees before stretching her arms up over her head and yawned. Those gold eyes locked onto her again and she gave her a silly grin that would have been pure Nuku Nuku. The lavender haired girl almost fainted but kept her cool.

"Mrow!" The catdroid stated again. Her own cat brain translated that to mean...nothing. It was fluff. A lot that cat's said was really fluff. The language was more body language, the voices could just tell you the cat's mood. She seemed to be in a good mood but judging by the way she was rubbing at her ears and head...she gave her a kitty migraine.

"Come on then." She stated out loud while adding an extra twitch to her hip and step. The catdroid followed after her twitching her nonexistent tail behind her.

By the time evening fell Akane was awake and exhausted. She had plowed through enough food to make Ranma and Genma sick. Her eating put everyone in danger of being sick but they stuck it out. Ryoga had walked into the bushes to take care of a call of nature...and simply failed to return. Didn't matter to anyone there since he could stay lost. The most worrying loss was Nuku Nuku. The catgirl had wandered off somewhere and still had yet to return. Just about the time they would have mounted a search party in walked the girl in question.

With another girl trailing behind her. On all fours. Meowing.

Ranma as it turns out decided that he had to inspect a tree branch, fifty feet up.

Cologne stared up at him with consternation. One of these days they had to fix the Neko-ken.

Shampoo was staring up the tree as well. His booty rocked even if she couldn't see it that well.

Ukyou was just thinking that having binoculars rocked.

Mousse did not even need to pretend to understand what Shampoo was thinking and merely bided his time.

Konatsu was scratching the catdroid under the chin and behind the ears eliciting purrs in response.

Akane merely patted the space on the log next to her for Nuku Nuku to join her.

Nuku Nuku had to get back ON the log after the crazed catdroid tried to jump in her lap and knock her OFF the log.

In that time frame they managed to wheedle Ranma down from the tree with promises of food and death threats, mostly from Mousse.

"Mew?" The catdroid asked as she sat next to Nuku Nuku calling attention to herself once more. The catgirl merely stared down at her for a time before rubbing her behind the ears and along the neck. Cats love that. With the strangeness of Ranma's condition settled they sat down for the new strangeness.

"What's goin' on Nuku Nuku-chan?" Ranma asked her even as he had to remind himself that the catdroid was like Nuku Nuku. Not a real cat. The girl in question sighed and then launched into her fight. They all listened avidly to the tail, even the catdroid but she was entirely too damaged mentally to make sense out of it. When it was done Cologne looked troubled.

"They made a copy of you." She said.

"No...they made an upgraded version of me." The catgirl corrected her. This was not good news causing them to look troubled until Akane smiled.

"Hey...Neko-chan here is one of the upgraded catdroids right?" She asked. No one asked where she got "Neko-chan" since that would be counterproductive. A round of nods was issued instead.

"Get Dr. Natsume to fix her up and then she could help us." The Tendo girl proved once more that not all of the brains and gone to Nabiki.

"Way to go Sugar. That sounds like it would work." Ukyou told her with a grin while Shampoo nodded.

"Too-too smart. Use idiots own weapon against them." She smiled dazzlingly. Nuku Nuku stared down at those trusting eyes and shook her head.

"No. She's not going to be a weapon. I want her to have the same chance I got." The idea of using someone with her face as a weapon made her boiling mad. She knew that she had to do something to contain this anger but she didn't want to. Ranma touched her shoulder causing her anger to bleed off.

"You're right. We can't do that. We're better than that, right?" He said with a cheerful smile.

"Get some sleep guys. We're gettin' an early start back tomorrow." Ranma said as he went to his tent. The catdroid followed after him instead of Nuku Nuku. The catgirl growled softly causing the catdroid to stop and then come back to her to follow Akane and her into their tent. The Tendo girl did not laugh but she wanted to so bad. The catgirl getting jealous of the catdroid and the catdroid chasing after Ranma...would not have been funny before but now it was hilarious.

'Sweet dreams everybody!" Akane called out which was met with the rest returning the sentiment. She went to bed with a warm feeling in her chest...and a catdroid curled up at her back. Can't have everything.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Another chapter released today so I hope it makes people happy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. The fight scene I believe is a little better than it was last time. Next time will be Nerima. Enjoy!


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or Nuku Nuku.

Author's Notes: This is a fairly good story in my humble opinion. I like to write it and reread it. So there is no shame in writing another chapter when I have an idea for it. Things have been going relatively well for our characters but what about the people left behind in Nerima? Let's find out shall we?

Random Destiny

Chapter 8

Where on Earth Am I Now?

Meanwhile back at the ranch...

It was the day after everyone had gone on the great training trip. Soun stared out at the koi pond lost in thought about the events leading up to this moment. He was an introspective man who thought much about the past. Even he could admit he thought about the past entirely too much to be healthy but it was a pattern he had gotten into. It bothered him that for the first time in his life he was seeing his children for who they were back then and who they are now.

Akane always had the drive to be a martial artist. Her childish displays of temper had been cute when she was younger but when she was capable of turning solid concrete into so much dust it had become a bit frightening. Instead of encouraging her to turn that anger into something more constructive he had let her follow the same well worn paths that she always had. His little girl had become a phenomenal berserker, one whose reputation could stand the ages, but had been a poor martial artist.

Nabiki had a drive as great as, if not greater then, her sister Akane's for the Art. Unfortunately, like so many things, it had fallen to the wayside by his effective abandonment of his family. She had sold pieces of herself to be able to make the money they needed to survive without expecting anything in return. Somewhere along the way her noble goals had become corrupted. She had started to wield her formidable intellect to milk her fellow students of their hard-earned money to fuel her lifestyle. Money had been earned for the sake of winning.

Kasumi was possibly the most regrettable sacrifice to his neglect. She had wanted to be a nurse, a caseworker, a therapist, a teacher, and a mother. His eldest had wanted to do everything she could to help the world. Help a world that needed a light and warmth like hers. A young woman with blond hair and unusual markings had told her that someday she would save the world with her heart. When their mother died, their world fell apart, and little Kasumi had saved it by sacrificing every dream and goal she had with a smile. It was not a forced smile or even a strained one. She gave gladly which made his chest ache all the more.

That all changed the day a certain aquatransexual redhead and panda had dropped into their lives. He could smile now at the hijinks that ensued with the addition of them to the household but the smile waned a bit. Ranma had brought life back to the house. Gave his daughter Akane headaches with his antics, made Nabiki smile with how profitable he was, and brought a new sparkle to Kasumi's eye. That was just in the first month of their arrival. It amazed him how a single injection of chaos could change their world so profoundly.

The reason his smile waned was because of Genma. His old friend and training partner. The drunken agreement to join the schools was stupid on the face of it. At least his wife talked him out of letting Kasumi go with them on the training trip. That was idiotic in the extreme. He chuckled a little as he remembered his wife beating him with her mallet until he had sobered up enough to realize what he had done. He remembered to call and cancel the trip for his child but had forgot to cancel the engagement.

Now he was happy that he forgot and had gone along with it.

Now he had a fourth child that may not be his by blood but was certainly his by right of conquest. He had defeated Genma in such a way that the man could never recover. Too many witnesses saw his flight from their house which caused his smile to come back. That was the night their expanding family had been given another shot of chaos. A scientist, his son, and his enthusiastic catdroid daughter. That had been a gift from the heavens themselves. He was not going to squander this message.

The first had come in a dream the night Ranma arrived saying 'This opens a new chapter on your life with a breath of fresh air and warmth.' The voice sounded like the woman who spoke to Kasumi all those years ago and who his eldest had started to resemble in mannerisms and heart. He had missed the true meaning of that message. The second message came the night that Nuku Nuku arrived. It had been delivered the the girl's elder sister saying 'If you can't figure out what to do this time then you're dumber than my last boyfriend.'

He needed no further messages for him to get it this time. It made him glad that he had kicked Genma out of his home and adopted Kyuusaku as a new friend and replacement brother figure. The transition had been an easy one. He didn't try to dominate. He didn't drink much. His cigarettes were tolerable since he mostly smoked them near the open doors or stepped outside. What was the word for that kind of behavior? With Genma around it was kind of hard to remember it. Oh yeah, considerate.

Ryuunosuke walked into the room and left the tea set on the table.

"My dad will be down shortly. I had to remind him what time it was." The little boy said with a smile. The child had been as amazing an addition to this house as his sister was. He filled the little hole that he knew Kasumi felt. He was the little brother/son she wished she had. A woman like Kasumi deserved happiness and Ryuunosuke gave her plenty of it. His mother sounded like a real piece of work. She could not move about so easily in this section of Nerima. Even his next door neighbor held a dan ranking in Martial Arts Raking. Easily throwing leaves like metal shuriken.

Note to self, keep him on the Christmas card list.

"Thank you son." He told the boy with a smile as the child happily went back into the kitchen to help Kasumi. His household had grown huge he realized with awe. How had that happened? Happiness literally flourished here like flowers in fertile soil. It was starting to make his Japanese soul swell with happiness and pride. Before he could either burst into tears or break into song...his friend walked in with a grave expression on his face.

"Do you know how to fight power armor?" He asked. The stunned patriarch could only stare.

Power armor is rare to see in Nerima. They're used to bird people, people that turned into animals and other genders with cold water, dragon princes, Chinese Amazons, and magical beings. Even the Sailor Senshi are considered normal here if a little overdressed. The people stared at Mishima Heavy Industries cherry red mecha with awe. Apparently Ranma was pissing off people with hardsuits now.

The appearance was straight out of Bubblegum Crisis. The Priss version or was it Sylia? They weren't sure. All they knew was that these things looked ready to fight. Dr. Natsume shook his head as he assessed the combatants. They had no fighters on their side except for Soun while they had power armor that eclipsed what he knew of their capabilities.

"If they had thrown this against us when Nuku Nuku was still an android she would have been trouble then." He told them. Soun had armed himself with a large polearm, a naginata by appearance, and was staring at the enemy with a stony mask. The doctor nodded in recognition of the man's bravery.

"They scouted us out well. They must have seen everyone leave yesterday." Nabiki said without a trace of the fear she was feeling. Kasumi sat with Ryuunosuke huddling in the corner of the dojo with him in her arms. Shielding him with her fragile body. It made Kyuusaku sick to see such terror. This was why he hadn't wanted them to have Nuku Nuku.

"Have they made any demands yet?" Soun asked. The good doctor shook his head.

"Usually they do by now but not this time. Looks like they're playing with a new set of rules. Can't be that my wife is getting this desperate. She normally sends her flunkies with ridiculous helicopters and lots of firepower. Big, flashy, but about as dangerous as fireworks displays really. No, this guys are pros." Dr. Natsume said to Soun. His friend merely slipped into an easy combat stance.

The suits straightened up as the pilots fully engaged them. The doctor noticed that one of them was still slumped over. That could mean only one thing. It was either a spare or the pilot hadn't made it. He was about to make note of it when the suits rushed straight into combat. The Tendo patriarch stepped up and proceeded to enter melee with them. From the start it looked like he was doing well for someone who never fought power armor.

He was a devil with the polearm, but when they destroyed it and forced him into hand-to-hand, he was an absolute terror. The doctor stared speechless as Soun took the things and threw them around like they were rag dolls. Throwing them into each other and into walls. They were in heavily reinforced armor but that didn't negate the damage to the pilot from the hard impacts. For a moment it looked as if he would win. Then they ganged up on him at range.

Machine guns against hand-to-hand pretty much sums up his chances. Even Ranma would admit that guns were something even the very best had trouble dodging. Nabiki was heard beginning to cry as she watched her father dodging frantically trying to regain the upper hand. The doctor was wishing he had never come here into their lives. He was responsible for what was about to happen. When he turned to comfort Nabiki and Kasumi he noticed something.

Kasumi was missing and from behind a very loud boom was heard.

The young homemaker sat with Ryuunosuke in her arms. The poor boy was scared but was being so brave about it that it hurt to watch. He looked up at her with those wide and trusting eyes eliciting a smile.

"It will be alright. Father is a master martial artist after all." Kasumi said but the boy could clearly tell that her heart wasn't fully in it.

"If Nuku Nuku was here...then she could take 'em." The little boy said.

"With Ranma, Akane-chan, Shampoo, Ukyou-chan, Mousse, Konatsu-chan, and Cologne-san. Could you see their faces with all that against them?" Kasumi told the boy with a smile. The Natsume child nodded his head.

"That would be awesome. Too bad they're not here right now." He looked down to where her arms were wrapped so warmly around him. Was this how his mother held him when he was scared? He could barely remember. He didn't want to believe that his mother could do this. Almost as if reading his mind Kasumi spoke to him.

"I don't believe this is your mother's doing. The build up just isn't there. Your father looks troubled by the changing of the rules. This puts you in great danger which I doubt she would do." The Tendo girl said with certainty. Ryuunosuke nodded his head. It made sense. It was then that the battle had begun.

They lost themselves in the epic battle between one lone man and an armor of mecha clearly intent on killing him. Kasumi began to despair when a voice said into her mind.

"Your heart will save the world. The world can be either very big or it can be very small. This world you live in is great with the warmth and love in it. It should not be allowed to darken. Follow your heart..." The voice trailed off as her gaze rested on the lone mecha standing without a pilot. In life there are signposts. When her mother died the signpost before her told her to help her family in any way that she could. This was simply another sign.

"Ryuu-chan...I must go. There is something I have to do. Nabiki, take care of him for me." She said with quiet intensity. Her sister was starting to panic and the child was starting to panic. For the first time Kasumi felt her role in this home. The traditional role of the woman was to defend hearth and home in ancient times. She rushed out from the safety of the dojo while the evil men were focused on her father. Nabiki and Ryuunosuke staring after her.

"She's...lost her mind." Nabiki said in stunned horror.

"I think...she's found herself." Ryuunosuke said which earned him a surprised look from the middle daughter.

"You might be right."

Kasumi reached the hardsuit and encountered a problem. Her dress would not fit. It was hardly a time for modesty, she chided herself, as she quickly slipped out of her outer garments and hopped into the foreign machine. She fitted her legs in first as she had seen the pilots do and knelt down to slide her arms into the metal gauntlets. Upon placing her face into the face mask portion she felt the machine start to rise as the back came up trapping her inside. She felt a brief moment of claustrophobia but it passed quickly as she assessed the situation.

The fact that she couldn't understand even a fraction of the garbage spewing across the screen bothered her but she didn't have time to worry about it. Apparently the enemy hadn't realized the significance of the hardsuit moving as they continued to try and hose her father with bullets. Something inside of her clicked and a state akin to the Soul of Ice descended upon her. The calm that put her at one with all within her domain enveloped her. She felt guided by the spirits of her ancestors as she released an empowered right into the hardsuit directly beside her. To her surprise there was a titanic boom as metal met metal.

The other hardsuit was completely disabled. She had crushed the side of it's head resulting in it shutting down to protect the pilot's life. A quick spin kick took the mecha charging up behind her in the chest almost folding it in half and causing the seams to burst, the pilot hurtling out of the machine as the ruined thing turned into a fireball. She had seen it behind her in a small display. Now she understood what she was seeing. The hardsuit had full three hundred and sixty degree vision with gyroscopic stabilizer. If anyone had seen the smile that lit up Kasumi's face they would have wondered if an oni had possessed her again.

A very wicked oni.

A wave of killing intent rolled across the battlefield as the eldest child let them all feel her displeasure. They began focusing their attacks on her as she was now the greatest threat but it did them little good. She was fully in her element. Protecting her family. Saving her world. This was what she had always wanted to do and she was doing it. She unleashed all the martial arts training that she had maintained as she had cleaned the home. The house had been her dojo. Now she was cleaning house once more.

Another mecha was annihilated by a ferocious lunge kick that threw it through the outer wall and dug up the street in front of the house. The remaining mecha were given the order to withdraw immediately. The losses had been unacceptable. Even worse now their enemies had a mecha of their very own. They gathered up their fallen comrades and ran to the carriers before the police arrived.

When her gaze cleared it looked like the whole NWC had shown up for a barbecue with Ryoga as the "guest" of honor. The wedding hadn't even been this bad she mused as she noticed that her family had come over to her. It was strange and felt right that she considered Ryuunosuke and Kyuusaku-san as family.

"My daughter...you have done the spirits of your ancestors proud this day..." Soun hugged the combat mecha enshrouded form of his daughter. She hugged him back. Nabiki simply shook her head in amazement before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. She wasn't hysterical but Kasumi wanted to know what was so funny.

"The world's turning upside down! Aquatransexuals, magical princes, dragons, phoenix, Chinese Amazons, chimera, and now Kasumi becoming a mech pilot?" She said incredulously before going into another round of howling laughter.

"Nice bit of piloting you did there. Do you know how to disengage?" Dr. Natsume asked her. She shook her head 'no'. He nodded as if he expected that answer.

"They can be entered by the pilot's choice but they have a catch on the outside for someone to help you get out. Shall I hit the latch?" He asked. She shook her head 'no' once more earning her a few curious stares.

"I-It would not be proper..." She stated meekly with a flaming red face. It was then they noticed her dress without her in it. They all turned a little red.

The next day...

It was strange, Kasumi reflected as she walked Ryuunosuke to school. It wasn't strange that she was walking him to school. No, the strange part was walking him to school in the power armor, and no one looking twice at her. That sort of thing was unsettling. The night before they had completely repainted the thing in pale pink and white. When asked why they said it was in homage to 'Sakura Taisen'. She blinked a few times and found herself laughing along with them.

She stayed up late checking the machine over. It even had a nifty tutorial that the doctor cued up. As a result she wasn't up to make breakfast but Ryuunosuke and Nabiki were up fixing it. As they put it she was the protector now so it was only right that they help her as much as possible. Her father had even ran her through the basics once more and began teaching her again. He was not going to let his child face her duty without all the weapons he could give her.

Which is why she was walking the boy to school. They were brazen in the past and something told them that this would only get worse. He had ridden in her arms for awhile as she got used to the jump jets resulting in him getting to school too early. She stayed outside scanning the skies as she contemplated the changes going on. The mech, as Kyuusaku-san said, was highly advanced. His studies in androids and robotics would help him make repairs but it was too advanced for him to make improvements.

That part was not pleasant to hear. She was hoping it could have been made a little more graceful looking. It was a hardsuit made years earlier than the first were made in the comics. More like a proto-hardsuit. Bulkier than the more sleeker versions but it still move faster than she knew normal humans could. She was wearing an improvised uniform of a bodysuit her sister Nabiki had. The girl had grumbled about Kasumi looking better in it.

"I can help with that you know." A voice said somewhere below her. She looked down and noticed the girl sharing the sidewalk with her. The child was younger than her by a couple years. Her black hair was long and she was quite cute. Her bright eyes stared at every aspect of the hardsuit with a critical eye. The marks called to mind the girl who had given her all that sage advice. She smiled but it didn't communicate too well through the face mask.

"You can?" In this world doubters didn't make it very far. Especially in her world. Doubting had no place. Her home was now full of can-do people.

"Oh yeah...but wow this thing is awesome! Fully articulated joints and servo regulators..." The girl happily began telling the increasingly bewildered Kasumi the machine's design specs from just a casual glance. She then began typing on a laptop with a see through monitor.

"Who are you? You know me but I find myself at a disadvantage..." The Tendo girl said. The girl looked up before blushing sheepishly.

"I'm Skuld. Goddess of the Future! Eh...probably shouldn't have told you that." She realized after she proclaimed that first part before trailing off quietly. Kasumi giggled a bit.

"Don't worry Skuld-chan, your secret is safe with me. But...why is a goddess so interested in me?" She asked in confusion. The young Norn squinted for a second before shrugging her shoulders.

"You are quite well known to us. We like to keep an eye on good people to see how far they can go. Usually each person is overseen by one goddess or angel at a time. You're a rare person. One with a pure spirit who wants nothing more than to save the world with your good heart. The light in your heart is what called strongly to us. Even demons dare not try to sway you. Well, as you grew older, your spirit only grew more pure as you followed your purpose. Of course you regretted your decision, but regret is natural, even goddesses regret." Skuld began.

"The thing is we were so busy watching you we didn't look at your file and missed something. There were several blessings and even a wish in your inbox. My sister, Belldandy, took care of some blessings. My oldest sister, Urd, will be taking your wish. I will be handing out a gift. It can be anything you want within reason since I can't use the Ultimate Force to get it for you." Kasumi stared at the child before her. Part of her wanted to say that the child before her was crazy but she could tell that Skuld believed everything she said.

"If that's the case...I want you to upgrade this mecha for me. Make it even easier to use." Kasumi said. "Also...a book of instructions." She said a little sheepishly. Skuld nodded her head.

"Sure...we'll take care of that while Ryuunosuke-kun is in school. Don't worry. He'll be fine. Bell is watching over him." Skuld quickly reassured her.

"How will we get there?" Kasumi asked as the young goddess took her hand.

"See that water barrel over there..."

From a short distance away the middle Norn observed the scene playing out before her. She shook her head at how the child had taken her words but apparently it was what needed doing. Unfortunately, the girl's new resolve was not so simple. It made her family safer for now but already too many elements were on the move. She would take care of Ryuunosuke's protection for today but not in the way that Skuld or Kasumi seemed to have in mind.

"Hopefully he won't be too mad at me." She concluded with a rueful smile that seemed at odds on her face.

School had let out for the day, which Ryuunosuke was grateful for, since he had so much trouble concentration. It looked like the rules had changed in their strange family squabble with lethal ordinance being thrown at ordinary humans. He had read the note left by Kasumi so he wasn't worried. Whoever this Skuld person was hopefully she could help. The boy had a lot of natural optimism which saw him through the troubled times but even that optimism was starting to wear down.

"Make things easy on us kid and come quietly." A voice said from ahead of him. He picked his head up in time to see two of the hardsuits from yesterday.

"What...do you want?" He asked, ashamed of how his voice shook. The two looked at one another before looking back to him.

"There's been a little...restructuring in the company and your mom is a hold out. So we figure...nab you and she'll surrender nice and peacefully. If you don't come then we're authorized to use extreme force." The lead goon said with a leer in his voice. The boy really wished Kasumi was here right now when suddenly he heard a strange voice. It sounded familiar but somehow different.

"Where the hell am I...huh? Two on one against a kid? Yo buddy! That ain't cool." The new boy stepped out into the open. He looked like Ryoga but thinner and somehow harder. On his forehead he wore a white bandanna. He wore a teeshirt that said "The voices in my head have some great ideas" with baggy jeans and steeltoe shoes. His eyes glared a challenge as the two lamebrains simply laughed.

"Who's this joker?" The lead moron asked the other.

"I dunno...who are you so we know what to put on your tombstone?" The second sneered. The boy merely rolled his eyes.

"Ryo Hibiki and I will tell you only once....I am VERY strong!" He pointed at them dramatically with a teasing leer on his face. Ryuunosuke stared at the crazy man in shock. Who quoted Kamen Rider Dan-O to his enemies? Wait...did he say Ryo Hibiki? When did Ryoga get a brother? Further introspection was cut off when the two hardsuits came streaking in to end the battle quickly. Ryo's leer turned into a VERY evil smirk.

"Slow and stupid..." He said as he stepped forward, a weapon materializing in his hand that looked like a giant, black key. The black key was impressive, it was large and looked to made of wrought iron with chains wrapping around it. The teeth ran down the length looking like jagged saw teeth with several intricate markings along the length. The first was struck, hard, with the wicked key with the sound of tearing metal letting the boy know the attack struck home.

The wounded mecha disengaged to take stock of their foe while the undamaged one engaged him in melee with what looked like an Eva prog knife. The two weapons met in a shower of metal and energy sparks showering and spraying.

"Not...uhn...bad! Too bad...I've fought...much worse then you!" Ryo grunted and strained as he fought with the mech's enhanced strength before suddenly summoning another blade to his off hand and striking the thing's arm off unfortunately taking the pilot's own arm with it in a shower of blood that the Hibiki leaped away from.

"AHHHH! You little shit! That was my fuckin' arm!" the man screamed. The other pilot deployed both gattling guns and prepared to fire.

"Tch! That's what ya get asshole!" The warrior was clearly not impressed by what he saw. Ryuunosuke was stunned at how easily he was destroying these mecha. The sight of all that blood was unsettling but the man's power armor sealed off the stump to preserve his life. The guns finished readying and opened fire.

"Aeroga!" Ryo cried out as a sudden wind storm swept up around him and captured the bullets as they were fired. Fairly quickly every bullet fired was swept into the maelstrom.

"What the hell is this?" The damaged mecha said to the wounded as he readied a rocket launcher.

"I don't know but we light this motherfucker up!" He roared as he opened the rocket pods just as Ryo canceled Aeroga sending the stream of ammunition back at them. Due to the imprecise nature of the release it slammed the two like buckshot with one of the AP rounds piercing the rocket that had just been readied. The mech with pilot inside went up in a fireball while the other mech simply stopped. If Ryuunosuke had looked closely he would have seen blood dribbling out from the numerous bullet holes.

In Nerima lethal attacks are usually met with nonlethal response. They fight to subdue not outright kill. These guys had been told how the laws work among the martial artists. They were not prepared to fight a blooded warrior. Ryo turned to the kid as the twin keys vanished into his shadow. He had lost the Keyblade over a year ago but had learned to summon ones from his heart. Since it was a shadow Ryo that had given him the second Keyblade during his adventure through Kingdom Hearts he figured that he could get a couple from his shadow again.

"Whoa..." Ryuunosuke said as the young warrior walked over to him.

"Are you okay kid?" Ryo said with a big friendly smile that was totally at odds with the wicked slick killer from before. It gave the poor boy a headache.

"Yeah I'm fine but who are you?"

"Well...eh...I'll walk you to your house and I'll tell ya on the way. I'm Ryoga Hibiki. Heard of me? Oh, I'm in another universe. Somehow that does NOT surprise me with my sense of direction. Think your Ryoga's lousy sense of direction only a thousand times worse. He only gets lost on the planet but I get lost in the multiverse." He started with Ryuunosuke's gaze rarely leaving the boy's face except to make sure they were going the right way. Ryo could walk a straight line without paying attention it seemed so it must be the getting lost in the other universes that made his curse worse.

"It all started on my little island. The place I grew up and played with my Ranma, Akane, and the whole gang. Until one day a darkness came and destroyed the world. Ranma had wanted to get off the island and gain power which invited the darkness in. I ended up cursed by Jusenkyo that same day. When the world was destroyed I was thrown into another world with a mystic weapon called the Keyblade. I was told that the only way to set things right was to master the Keyblade. I traveled to many worlds with my friends Donald and Goofy until we met Xiao. She's a catgirl swordmaster. Through more adventures we even managed to save Ranma's good half who was a girl named Ranko. Gained a friend named Bahamut ZERO that is not only the God King of Dragons but also a spaceship. Managed to find Shampoo's heart...turns out it was inside me...oh forgot to mention that she lost her heart back on the islands and I gave it back to her with a kiss. Call me sentimental but it made sense. Somehow ended up in a relationship with Shampoo and Ranko...traveled to the end of all worlds...defeated the ultimate evil known as Happosai...and lived happily every after."

The trip back to the house took very little time with Ryo's story livening the trip. It was quite a bit to take in all at once. Ryo assured him that even he didn't get it all anymore.

"We're here." Ryuunosuke said while Ryo just stared at the Tendo compound with fondness and exasperation.

"It figures...it all comes back to this place." The Keyblade Master, champion of the worlds, and Fate's whipping boy shook his head in black amusement.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: I am deliberately making this ridiculous. Over the top powerful characters...super machines...Kasumi piloting mecha...I made it humor for a reason. Before anyone asks why Ryo was able to dispatch two mecha when it Soun couldn't defeat even one only has to ask yourself "Has Soun been training seriously?" The answer is no, he hasn't been, but he made an excellent showing of himself. Ranma would not have gotten into hand-to-hand with them. He would have taken them out at range with Moko Takabisha or Hiryuu Shoten Ha. No, Ryo is not god. If you really want to know his origins then read A Different Side and the second story, A Different Side: Wild ½. Due to a formatting error on the site's part it reads Wild 12. Never fixed it, didn't care enough to. It was funny.

By the way, I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Ah! My Goddess!

I am ebil.


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, Nuku Nuku, Ah! My Goddess!, or Kingdom Hearts.

Author's Notes: I wish to address a review I received. It's nice that not everyone is simply telling me 'Good job'. I would like to thank everyone who reads and reviews my little stories. Lerris, I find your stories to be simply amazing. However this is Ranma ½ we are talking about. Training trips where they learn devastatingly powerful techniques in mere days is normal. It's a comedy and more attention is usually focused on the action then on realism. I chose action over realism.

Random Destiny

Chapter 9

Bubblegum Crisis: Kasumi

The shrine was indeed a truly beautiful place, Kasumi mused as her and Skuld appeared. The younger goddess smiled up at her as if she knew what she was thinking, which she probably did. The Tendo daughter followed her hostess up to the main building with her suit making faint noises in the grass. A beautiful white-haired woman was seated inside with a bottle of sake. She was used to seeing people drinking early in the day because of her father and Saotome-san but she hadn't seen a woman doing it. The woman gave the two of them a once-over.

"Are you sure about this kid?" She commented idly to Skuld who bristled.

"Of course I am. All she wanted was this. Now...I'll be taking that!" The Goddess of the Future said as she waved her hand and the mech vanished leaving her in the skintight bodysuit. Kasumi landed easily and with grace despite just restarting her training. Urd made a mental whistle. The girl was built very nicely and any guy who said otherwise was blind.

"See ya later Kasumi!" Skuld said as she skipped merrily into the house.

"Alright. See you later Skuld-chan." Kasumi waved as she turned to look back at Urd.

"No manners...doesn't even introduce her dear sister before scampering off." The Goddess of the Past said with a teasing smile before waving to the girl to have a seat. She gestured to the bottle but her guest merely shook her head and declined.

"Ah...you would be Urd?" She inquired. Kasumi had a quick mind and had been informed the girl's sister was older than her. If Belldandy was watching Ryuunosuke then the logical conclusion was that this was Urd. The goddess' smile was tinged with respect.

"Yes I am. Now...as I'm sure the kid told you...you have a wish. Sorry we haven't gotten around to it but we got a little...sidetracked recently." Urd said but refused to elaborate. That was fine by Kasumi.

"The wish has to be for you. If others benefit indirectly that's fine but this wish is for you. So don't even think of wishing Ranma's curse away." The older goddess said with a playful finger shake. The Tendo girl blinked stupidly for several moments.

"I can't think of anything..." Kasumi said with a start. She had dreamed of a day like this but for the life of her couldn't think of anything now. That was an inordinately cruel joke being played by Fate. Urd rested her hand atop of Kasumi's with an encouraging smile.

"Your heart knows the answers to the questions. There are many secrets kept in the heart that only can be revealed when the time is right. I would give you time for this but we're already late on this. Any later and our butts will be in a sling." Urd joked playfully eliciting a smile from Kasumi but it didn't last long. The girl was growing frustrated. Even Saints have a limit to their patience and this saint's patience had run out.

"I just wish I knew what to do!" She exclaimed causing Urd's eyes to widen drastically. Kasumi's eyes widened as she realized what she had just said with a hand flying to her mouth to cover the 'Oh my' that had formed there. The white-haired goddess was praying that the wish wouldn't go through. Even though there was a very good chance it would go through she hoped it wouldn't.

"Oh crap...!" Urd exclaimed as her head suddenly went back as a pillar of light shot from her forehead to connect her to the Ultimate Force. The lights dimmed and the Heavens themselves responded to the wish. The process took seconds but to the suddenly stunned Tendo girl they seem to spiral on forever. When it finally ended Urd's head slumped forward as if she were exhausted. She blinked several times trying to figure out what had just happened. The wish had been exhausting in a way she had never felt before. She knew that the wish had gone through and was stunned at the enormity of it all.

"Wish...approved..." Urd said as she looked up to Kasumi. The Tendo girl was sitting across from her, hands clenched in her lap, with her eyes screwed shut. The goddess knew that it was a LOT of information to suddenly take in. The girl across from her slowly looked to Urd with a look of mixed amusement.

"I guess...you get your money's worth with these wishes..." She quipped gaining a smile from Urd.

"I would ask if you would like some guidance but...the wish that was granted will help out in that department. Remember. Just because you know what you should do doesn't mean you have to do it. Each choice creates a new set of possibilities. You do not know all in regards to what you should do but you will have a better understanding than most of the beings on the planet. It's not a shortcut either. You have to work for your solutions even if you know it." The white-haired woman warned. Kasumi sat and listened but a small part of her was daydreaming. What could she do with this newfound power?

Skuld was having a blast running tests on the hardsuit brought into her lab. Kasumi hadn't asked for much in the goddess' humble opinion. All she wanted was for it to be easier to use and gave Skuld a carte blanch for how to make that happen. Not only was it going to be easy but at least it would be fun. She didn't always like the brain-bending difficulties. Sometimes she liked a light challenge. The people at Mishima had labored intensely to make this thing but to the tech genius this was child's play.

"Could always build it like I did Banpei. No. Hmmm...something different maybe?" she mused as she began typing away at her computer. Her fingers moving rapidly over the keys as she pondered and rejected ideas. What finally shaped up after a surprisingly short period was a combat suit that would be like a second skin. Smaller, thinner, and lighter than the original. Forcefields combined with traditional armor plating. Ether manipulators in the palms and feet to facilitate firing energy blasts and propulsion with a larger propulsion pack on the back useful for hovering in place.

"That's the right stuff...huh...need to work on it some more. Something missing...right! Make it easier to work!" She worked to get it right. If she was wrong then her brilliant idea would fry Kasumi' brain. Not a good thing. Dad would kill her. Installed in the helmet would be a Telepathic Link so that she could 'think' and the mech would 'do'. No instruction manual required since she was installing several battle simulators and a tutorial. Maybe a hard copy would be good too. She had the computer create a book while she got to work on the powerarmor.

"She is totally gonna love this!" Skuld cackled with glee as she set to work.

Back at the Tendo Home...

Ryo was used to being stared at by this point. If Ryuunosuke and Nabiki hadn't run out to the kitchen dinner wouldn't be on the table. He shook his head. Had they really be talking about his story for that long? It had started since they walked in the door. Ryuunosuke innocently telling them about what happened and suddenly they have him seated at the table essentially grilling him. It took some doing but they had hammered out the details. A Ryoga Hibiki from another world they had actually bought fairly easily. The fact that he saved the multiverse? That took some heavy explaining. He wished Xiao was here. The catgirl would be all the proof he needed.

How do you argue with a girl that wields six-foot swords in both hands?

Dinner was an interesting affair as well. The food was good and a blushing Nabiki was revealed to have done the tempura and the miso. He did a good job of not double-taking or spitting out his food. Who knew the girl could cook like this?

While they ate it was their turn to explain what had been happening. They told him about the catdroid, Nuku Nuku, and about taking Akane and her away on a training trip. The part about Mishima Heavy Industries made him boil. He was especially put out by Kyuusaku and 'Mama-san'. The doctor wasn't doing it on purpose but the two of them were playing tug-of-war with their son. Not his place to question things. Considering that the people Mama worked for were willing to use lethal force to take him made the doctor the clear winner in this custody dispute.

"Well...I'll do my best to stick around. Can't have Knight Saber Kasumi doing all the heavy lifting right?" He quipped good-naturedly. That was the other thing they were getting used to. A Ryoga that wasn't depressed and upset all the time. The only thing that did kind of annoy him was that he couldn't contact Bahamut. Unacceptable but he had to live with it.

Then again summoning the God King of Dragons might be a little much against a helicopter.

"So you are a martial artist then?" Soun asked. "If so then may we see some of what you can do?" Ryo nodded his head.

"Sure thing. I was about to go do my practice anyway. Can't be slow when the time comes right?" He joked. That was definitely something they were getting used to. He was so cheerful and upbeat he seemed to radiate it in waves. With dinner done the household adjourned to the back yard to watch the show.

He spent several moments in breathing exercises as he slowly assumed a loose stance. The fanged warrior moved slowly, extending his arms outward and twirling his wrists in sinuous movements. Gradually he incorporated his legs into the dance as he took slow steps as if stalking with his hands now taking the appearance of tiger's claws. As they watched he began to gradually pick up speed. His hands lashing out in short, invisible bursts of speed with his feet flickering through the dance. Without warning he went straight into a full speed power kata that sacrificed none of his speed for the clear strength it held.

He reminded them of Ranma in many ways including the way he practiced. The only difference seemed to be that Ryo preferred to dance as he moved instead of the traditional movements. He was graceful with a serene look on his face. He shifted back into a flowing water dance before a lightning fast movement saw his Keyblades appear in his hands. The tempo changed once more into a violent torrent of crashing waves as the blades whistled and swept through the air in a blizzard of strikes. He was glowing a vibrant red as he moved before suddenly glowing bright gold and calling out his most powerful move.

"Ars...ARCANUM!" He roared before executing a blistering combo of strikes that had anything been on the receiving end they would certainly have been dead. The golden energy lashed out in time with the swings seeming as if there were even more blows being made. When it was over the light show gradually died down leaving him breathing a bit more heavily but not by much. This wasn't his island so unleashing deadly super attacks was a strict no-no. Normally he was practicing in the ocean aiming it out into the distance.

Kyuusaku stared open-mouthed at what he had just seen. He was not a martial artist but he could certainly appreciate the show that had just been put on. A quick glance to his side showed his friend in a similar position. Judging by the looks this was not a normal occurrence. Nabiki was pondering it he could see.

"That was interesting... How did you do that? That part at the end?" The middle girl asked inquisitively.

"Magic. Ars Arcanum is a powerful magical attack utilizing the wielder's ki as well. Very few spells use both magic and ki to fuel them but it is a martial move. I know a few like that but Ars is the only one that has a short range. It's my strongest but shortest range attack. Sonic Rush would go too far and it's too fast to control in tight quarters. Strike Raid is simply a Keyblade toss. Ragnarök fires a barrage of mystic rays. I picked up a couple more recently due to a trip to a place called "Castle Oblivion" but let's not go there okay?" He said pleasantly but it was clear there was a dismissal in his voice.

"Well now...with that out of the way...we can move onto more important matters. Where is Kasumi?" Soun asked.

Back at the shrine...

Normally it was Urd taking her orders a little fast and loose but today it had been Belldandy. She had been told by Skuld that she would need to guard Ryuunosuke since Kasumi was coming to the shrine. The middle daughter had a better idea. Why not summon someone who could act independently? Ryo fit the bill nicely. He was Fates' Warrior after all. The Keyblade Master was one of the few beings that Fate had on speed dial for when things were too hairy even for them. He was given power that could crush a god in single combat but could be trusted not to due to his pure heart and kind nature.

The Hibiki boy was quite possibly the most brutal and violent Keyblade Master they ever had she mused as she sat on the couch. Keichi wasn't home yet but he would be soon. By then Kasumi needed to be out of there since it would be bad policy to get her involved in all this. With her fiancée home then Mara would come around. It was a cycle that was starting to try even her patience. Maybe Ryo could...? No, the Doublet System would not allow that. She blushed for thinking so uncharacteristic a thought but her traitorous mind kind of liked it.

Kasumi was testing her new hardsuit in the back yard. It was sleek. It was shiny. It fit her like a second skin. The under armor was so tight to her body she would have no need of a bra. It breathed and moved in a way that normal techno armor didn't. The armor was a very pale pink with white arms and legs with it turning into a darker pink over her chest area and back. She was field testing the under armor without the top layer at Skuld's insistence so she could tell if it was too tight or restricting.

The Tendo girl was amazed at the armor. The younger goddess had informed her that this was only the first layer. This was the interface layer that would go under the main armor. The reason it was so light was that it was made of a fine mesh of mithral. Skuld demonstrated just this layer's defensive power by hitting her repeatedly with a blaster array in the chest. The young woman had been plowed into the wall by the rays but she wasn't hurt. She blinked several times as she registered that.

"Whoa...this is way better than even my simulations made it out to be. Ready for the second layer?" Skuld asked with a grin. Kasumi nodded her head as the girl typed something into her computer. A circle of light appeared around Kasumi before turning into two separate rings that moved up and down her frame before vanishing. Kasumi stared at the second layer. Now she had gauntlets and boots. Thigh protectors and upper arm guards. There was a collar around her neck leading into a light chest covering. This was done in pure silver. Skuld called it "Chekhari Silver". She called it a powerful and light mystic metal. Kasumi checked the new parts.

"What should I do?" The girl asked. Skuld called up a few targets. They looked like Mishima mechs.

"Take them out. We're also testing the durability of your armor as well as flexibility. They WILL fight back." Skuld warns as the machines begin firing. Kasumi quickly dodges to the side much faster then even in her old hardsuit. The ether propulsion would take some getting used to she realized as she practically skated on the shimmering energy jets. Kasumi did as Skuld had said and pointed her hands, palm out, at the machines and unleashed the ether busters on the two machines. The mecha continued firing as they tried to flank her with their rounds bouncing off of her new armor. If they had shot for her exposed head she would have been dead but that wasn't the purpose of this exercise. It was to test each portion to see if it worked with the others. The ether blasters released their payload causing both machines to detonate impressively.

"Good job. How did that feel?" The younger girl asked. Kasumi was breathing a bit more heavily but mostly from adrenaline. It was as light and responsive as she hoped it would be.

"It's...amazing..." Kasumi said with wonder in her voice. She stared at the silver armor in awe. It was like they were turning into a shining knight. She giggled as she thought it. Skuld smiled softly at the girl's childish reactions. Despite looking like a child she was still an ancient goddess.

"Last layer. The third layer is made entirely of orichalcum. This is also the layer with all the enhancers. Your will is very important now. It will determine how powerful your shields are as well as other aspects such as strength, speed, and dexterity. Do not lose sight of your goal and never lose hope." Skuld warns her as she initiates the final layer. Kasumi is encircled once again by the twin rings. When they vanish she is standing in a complete suit of armor. Her helmet resembles Priss from Bubblegum Crisis. The stronger plating is once again molded perfectly to her body. The helmet connects with the collar around her neck while the full chest plate and thigh guards appear. From the chest plate are a pair of slender shoulder pads. On her back is a small pack with a single ether emitter. The pack was merely for sustained hovering but combined with the feet would allow for flight. Elbow and wrist armor connect to the gauntlets while knee and shin guards combine with the leg portions. The rest of the color scheme is in fuchsia.

"Well! I must say she IS pretty snazzy. So sharp and dazzling in that new armor of hers. What do you say to a test run children?" A voice says from off of the property. The sound of people screaming in terror is clearly heard. Kasumi stares at Skuld.

"Who is that?" She demands.

"That's Mara." Urd said with a nasty look on her face. She was not a happy goddess right now. Mara was here and already causing trouble. Before she can say anything else the eldest Tendo daughter vaults over the outer wall to help the screaming victims. If she had stayed longer she would have been told it was a trap.

"Damn!" The eldest goddess swore before Belldandy placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let us go and see this. Should we need to intervene then we will but right now Father wants to see one of his children defend her world without us." The middle goddess said. Urd and Skuld both visibly wilted with that realization. Without further discussion they vanished.

The new hardsuit was a formidable piece of equipment according to Skuld. Kasumi was not worried if it would perform as advertised. She knew it would. What she was worried about were the people on the other side of the wall. When she landed and performed a quick scan she realized something. She had been completely tricked. It had seemed like the best course of action to jump the wall but now it didn't look that way. Too late to worry about it now. A woman floated in the air. She had long curly blond hair and was dressed like a biker slut from Hell. Mara would have objected and corrected you with "from Niffleheim". The reason she knew that she had been duped? Arrayed before her were a host of demonic entities.

"Should let you know where you stand in the great scheme of things human. Even with that delightful little toy you're still demon meat. Now why don't you just send that thing away so my boys can have some real fun?" She smirked evilly as her demons began salivating.

Everyone wondered sometimes where Akane got her pervert senses from. Kasumi was reinstalling the beta version of those old protocols. A ripple of fuchsia and blue suddenly lashed out from her form causing the demons to throw their arms up to block the sudden gust. A crackling sound was heard as Heaven's finest technowizard's new baby revved up and prepared for battle. The demons rallied themselves and charged the suit thinking they would stop it from powering up.

They were far too late.

Skuld sweatdropped. Massively. When Kasumi suddenly used all that ether energy she had suddenly built up to conjure a hammer that would have put Mjolnir to shame before slamming it into the oncoming horde of demons. They were instantly blown away and into the distance with numerous pings letting everyone know that they had successively breached LEO. Mara stared before blinking at the situation. Demonic horde? Check. Sinister trap? Check. Totally owned once again by the goddesses? Check. Done in by their pet mortal? Aggravatingly...double check. She had taken her eyes off of Kasumi during her internal rant.

"That was not very nice." Kasumi said in a gently scolding tone that was completely at odds with the massive energy blast she was building up between her palms. Before Mara could think of dodging the blast was released, catching her in the chest, and throwing her clear out into the stratosphere. Maybe she should take a vacation? Kasumi stopped her assault breathing heavily. The goddesses were evaluating her and silently thanking Mara for that.

"If she can handle that many damned then those Mishima guys won't know what hit 'em." Urd stated confidently which Skuld eagerly agreed with. Belldandy still looked faintly troubled.

"We shall see..." Belldandy said as Kasumi leaped back into the shrine. The Tendo girl was staring at her hands with something approaching shock. Such power from her? According to Skuld it was all based around her willpower. Her will was that strong?

"In order to keep your home as ordered as it is would require a strong will. To not collapse in the face of such a monumental task takes a strength of character few would be capable of. I am Belldandy." The middle sister said with a smile.

When Kasumi returned home it was quite late. They had her stay for dinner and they had talked. The topic of conversation was explaining her limits. She would understand what she needed to do that was certain. Her hardsuit was the singular most powerful armor on Earth at the moment but it was very limited. She would still have to keep an eye on the enemy. Just because she could take them didn't mean that her friends and family could. They were trained soldiers who would take advantage of any opening she left them. Just because she could break them all day didn't mean anything if they got around her.

It was something to think about at least. Kasumi reflected on this as she stood in the koi pond with her arms folded over her chest. The skintight bodysuit was still the same with circuitry embedded into it for better synchronization. She looked up from where she stood to see a very confused looking young man with a bandanna. Kasumi was trying to understand who he was and why did he have that glazed look in...his...eyes...?

When she looked down she realized she was unconsciously pushing her breasts up with her folded arms and felt an eyebrow twitch. The young man blushed and looked away quickly even as she stalked over to him. A very un-Kasumi-like was percolating in her brain as she stood before him. Before she punted him Nabiki stuck her head out.

"There you are!" The middle sister exclaimed as she ran out to drag her confused and unresisting older sister inside. The young man shook his head before hopping to his feet and following them in. Her father sat at the shogi board with Kyuusaku staring intently at the pieces before Nabiki came blowing in with Kasumi in tow. Predictably, their father leaped to his feet and smothered her in a fierce grip.

"Oh Kasumi-chan! You're home!" He bawled while the doctor merely waited for it to end. Without even thinking about it he moved several pieces before catching on to what he was doing. By the time he was finished musing the spectacle was over. Watching Kasumi getting crushed in her father's embrace was a bit amusing though. With that over with he asked the question everyone was thinking.

"Where did you go Kasumi-chan?" The girl in question blushed a bit at the "chan" suffix, but instead on commenting on it, began explaining what she had been up to. When prompted she showed them the new suit of powerarmor. Kyuusaku stared at it hard as it slowly filtered into his brain that such a piece of technology was far out of his league. The fact that the size was cut down so dramatically was also apparent.

The reactions were interesting to note. Nabiki looked faintly jealous. Not only did it look cool but it did all sorts of flattering things for her figure. Soun blinked several times at the deadliness of it but also the fact that it hid little of his child's person. That bothered him. Ryuunosuke thought it was the coolest thing he had ever seen after his own sister of course. Ryo merely raised an eyebrow at it. Part of him was starting to worry that things like this were becoming blase.

Then came her turn to hear about events. She was horrified to learn that Ryuunosuke had been attacked and the real goal of these enemy hardsuits. The horror was quickly followed by relief at Ryo coming to his rescue. Part of her was wishing that their Ryoga could be like this polite and friendly young man. Of course hearing how he systematically killed both pilots while inside their suits made her squirm a bit. She didn't want to kill anyone and to hear that he did it so easily kind of worried her. Would she become like that? Would she have to kill? Then hearing his story made her understand why he was so easy with it.

In his life there were three kinds of people. Friends and loved ones, could be friends, and enemies. Enemies needed to be eliminated to protect all his precious people, even the ones he hasn't met yet. Very simple and tidy as he put it. Cuts down on confusion. Attacking a child puts one so far in the enemies category he doesn't even think about letting them go. That was something they could both agree with.

"Hopefully that's the last of that for tonight..." Ryo said since he didn't want to explain his story anymore. Somehow he and Kasumi had ended up sitting outside in front of the koi pond. Soun and Kyuusaku were once again playing shogi. Nabiki was in her room finishing up her homework. Ryuunosuke, unsurprisingly, went straight to bed. After the day he had there was no question that he was tired.

"I hope so too. There has been too much chaos recently. I thought, naively, that it would slow down a bit with Ranma out of town but it seems to have only magnified." Kasumi was back in her dress with he legs tucked beneath her. She simply stared at the koi pond without seeing it.

"For your first time in combat you're holding up well. Guess being the daughter of a martial arts master counts right? As for the chaos...it's been my experience that anything that has Nerima in the name is just another way of saying 'Chaos'. You don't need a Ranma to make things wild. Look at my experiences! All that was put in motion long before Ranma and I were born. We ended up playing a bit part in a huge multiversal play. All the people I met were just the actors. Do you see? Nerima is a lot like Eerie, Indiana. The source for weirdness." the Eternal Lost Boy sat back on his hands with his legs straight out. The girl beside him contemplated that before deciding to ask a question that was nagging at her.

"How do Ranko and Shampoo deal with you being gone all the time?" She asked. The Lost Boy stared off into space for a moment.

"They hate it. They love me but they hate my direction curse. It's not too bad since most places I can summon Bahamut to take me home. I can't feel him here which is definitely a bad thing. Too bad I can't contact Virginia..." He trailed off at seeing her confused look.

"Virginia Maxwell is a gunslinger, or Drifter as their called on her world, who has access to another multiverse traveling dragon named Lombardia. If I could get a hold of them I could go home but I wouldn't want to yet." Ryo said.

"But if you miss your loved ones..." Kasumi started only to have the young warrior shake his head.

"I miss them terribly...it hurts being away from them...but my code won't allow an innocent to be left n danger. Until everyone gets back from the training trip I want to stick it out here." He said to her. She smiled.

"I didn't know if I could handle this on my own." Kasumi said seriously. The Lost Boy nodded.

"Sounds like me actually. After I found myself in Traverse Town with a locked girl curse. I had help then so the least I can do is pass on the good I received." He says with a chuckle which cut off as if it never existed. The more experienced warrior hopped to his feet with a look of intense concentration that had Kasumi instantly on edge.

"Gear up somethings coming!" He growled out as the twin Keyblades flashed into existence. Kasumi ran inside to get her bodysuit. They made it so that she could summon her armor with it on but not if she took it off. Chiding herself for being stupid she made it to her room and had her dress almost off when she heard the sounds of heavy combat outside. She felt panic start to take hold when her wish let her see what course she had before her. There would be time but only if she acted smartly. By blindly tearing at her dress it would take longer.

She forced herself to calm down and slip into her bodysuit before willing the suit into existence. Ryo yelled up from outside.

"One of them is in the house with you!" She heard and understood. Kasumi quickly made her way to the Natsume's room when she heard a crash from inside and Ryuunosuke call out in fright. She went to throw the door open when suddenly a black shape came hurtling through the door with the speed of a train right into Kasumi's waiting grasp. The Tendo girl reacted on instinct and broke the thing over her knee. She gasped when she realized what had just happened but quickly rushed into the room. Plenty of time to worry later. Who had done that?

The answer was a tiny little man who was so wrinkled it was unsure if he even human anymore. Ryuunosuke was staring in awe at the man who was even smaller then him. Kasumi felt relief flood her as she recognized who it was. Apparently even threats of blackmail could not keep him away.

The Grandmaster of the Anything Goes Style, Happosai, had returned.

Ryo couldn't afford to use any of his crowd clearing special attacks since the house was so close. Soun was making an excellent accounting of himself. As long the Lost Boy held off the greater flood of enemies then he could handle what got through. The mechs had realized fairly quickly that shooting would be a bad idea since he cast Reflect on the house and on the defenders. It was a constant draw on his mana but he could easily live with it. The only time it was hard was when they were actually firing on it. But they learned quickly that opening fire on a Reflect spell made everything go back at the ones firing. It was how he was doing damage control.

These things were fast though and powerful. He dispatched two because they fought defensively. Early blows had crippled their offense and then he took them out at his leisure. This time they were fighting in waves. There were eight of them right now with four more waiting to relieve anyone who needed it. Ryo thought fast. That made for a very nasty set up especially with their refueling stations right outside the house. They could maintain the eight man strike force. He slipped into the mindset once again.

This was already looking like a very bad situation because this was the third time he had used his Mindset and each time it was getting harder to maintain. He felt time slow down as the mechs began approaching at ludicrously slow speeds. Ryo unleashed blows upon them at Amaguriken speeds. These had been made hardier then the last types. Much more durable. His Keyblades scraped and scratched them but didn't shear through them. Soun was starting to tire he could see and he sure as hell wasn't any better.

He broke from the engagement as the Keyblades started to glow. He had no choice. He had to do it. The mechs came charging in linearly to attack him from the front. Ryo began twirling his Keyblades, angling them slightly, as he used Firaga and Blizzaga to heat and cool the twin weapons. Thundaga was trailing along the two blades causing visible clashes of elemental fury with each rotation. Aeroga began forming around the twirling Keyblades as he used the principle of the Hiryuu Shoten Ha to increase the power.

The mechs began registering a powerful meteorological disturbance far too late to save them. Ryo cut loose with his super move instantly shredding the powerful mechs attacking them. The one that was engaging Soun disengaged to attack Ryo while he was distracted. Too bad several high power explosives came winging in from out of nowhere to blow the menacing machine into scrap. The exhausted pair of warriors looked to the roof to see who had just saved them.

Soun fainted from surprise and relief. Ryo just...fainted. Happosai smirked down at the battlefield. What would they do without him?

End Chapter

Author's Notes: The reference Ryo made was to Wild Arms 3. I do not hate any of the characters. They can annoy me greatly but I don't hate them. It's a comedy so their faults and flaws are blown out of proportion to make it more humorous. Even Happosai had a good side, which didn't come out much, but it was there. I'm having a blast writing this story and I hope you enjoy reading it. If you've read "A Different Side" would you like me to bring in someone else from there? I'm accepting requests. Have a good night everybody!


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